Effects of energy and protein levels on egg quality and performance of laying hens at early second production cycle

• Autor(a) principal: Junqueira, O. M. [UNESP]
• Data de Publicação: 2006
• Outros Autores: De Laurentiz, A. C. [UNESP], Da Silva Filardi, R. [UNESP], Rodrigues, E. A. [UNESP], Casartelli, E. M. [UNESP]
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UNESP
• Texto Completo: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/japr/15.1.110; http://hdl.handle.net/11449/224732
• topic: Egg quality; Energy; Forced molting; Performance; Protein; Semiheavy hen

One hundred sixty-two commercial 70-wk-old ISA Brown laying hens, previously subjected to induced molting by feed restriction, were distributed in a completely randomized design with 3 × 3 factorial arrangement (i.e., 3 metabolizable energy levels: 2,850; 2,950, and 3,050 kcal of ME/kg) and 3 protein levels (16, 18, and 20% CP), which totaled 9 treatments with 3 replicates of 6 birds each. Experimental diets were offered to birds after the feed restriction period. Performance and egg quality parameters were evaluated in 14-d intervals from the 4th to 12th weeks after forced molting for a total of 4 evaluation periods. Increases in dietary energy and protein levels did not improve performance or egg quality. The levels of 2,850 kcal of ME and 16% protein were sufficient for laying hens starting the second production cycle without decreasing their performance or egg quality. ©2006 Poultry Science Association, Inc.