Replacing dietary corn with bakery by-products supplemented with enzyme and evaluating performance of laying hens

The objectives of this experiment were to investigate effects of dietary replacement of maize with bakery by-product (BB) with or without enzyme supplementation on the performance of laying hens and egg quality characteristics. A total number of one hundred and eighty 87-week-old Hy-Line Leghorn hens, with an average laying rate of 56.7±3.8% (late production phase) and 1470±14 g live body weight, were weighed and distributed between 30 cages with almost same egg production (EP) level among the cages. Six iso-caloric and iso-nitrogenous diets were formulated (ME=2900 kcal/kg and crude protein= 15.20 g/100 g diet) based on the catalogue of Hy-line. The experiment was conducted as a 3×2 factorial arrangement of treatments including three replacement levels (0, 50, and 100%) of corn with dried bakery byproduct replacement) and enzyme supplementation (0 and 0.06 g/100 g diet of Hemicell®, a commercial ?-mannanase-based cocktail enzyme product). Each of 6 experimental diet fed hens in 5 replicates with 6 birds per each replicate (cage). The hens? performance including hen-day egg production% (EP), egg weight (EW) and feed intake (FI) was measured for 4 weeks and egg mass (EM, g/hen/day) as well as feed conversion ratio (FCR, g feed: g egg) was calculated. The data was analyzed based on completely randomized design using GLM procedure of SAS. Replacing dietary corn with BB had no significant effect on egg production (%), except in week 2. Egg production in group of 100% corn-replacement in week 2 was lower than the other dietary groups. However, the overall EP for weeks 1-4 was not significantly affected by replacing dietary corn with BB. In addition, EM and FCR were not significantly affected by dietary treatment. Egg weight was affected by dietary cornreplacement in weeks 1 and 2; however, no significant difference was found in weeks 3 and 4. Egg quality characteristics were not affected by dietary treatment. Enzyme supplementation had no significant effect on performance of hens and egg quality traits. From the results of this experiment it can be concluded that dietary corn can be totally replaced with bakery by-products with no adverse effect on performance and egg quality. In addition, ?-mannanase has no beneficial effect on performance of hens fed on corn- or bakery by-productbased diets

Effects of the inclusion of sunflower hulls in the diet on growth performance and digestive tract traits of broilers and pullets fed a broiler diet from zero to 21 d of age. A comparative study

The effects of including 3% sunflower hulls (SFH) in the diet on growth performance, nutrient retention (TTAR), and gastrointestinal tract (GIT) traits were studied in chicks from zero to 21 d of age. Four treatments that resulted from the combination of 2 chicken lines (female broilers vs. brown pullets) and 2 levels of SFH (zero vs. 3%) were used. The control diet contained 2,980 kcal AMEn/kg, 1.25% digestible Lys, and 8.7% neutral detergent fiber. The experimental diet included 3% SFH at the expense (wt:wt) of the whole diet. Growth performance, TTAR of nutrients, and the AMEn of the diet were greater (P = 0.097 to P < 0.001) in broilers than in pullets. In absolute terms, all the organs of the GIT were heavier (P < 0.001) and the small intestine and cecum were longer (P < 0.001) in broilers than in pullets. At 21 d of age, however, the relative weight (% BW) of all the organs of the GIT (P < 0.001) and the relative length (cm/kg BW) of the small intestine and cecum (P < 0.01) were greater in pullets. Gizzard pH (P < 0.001), total short chain fatty acids concentration in the cecum (P = 0.098), and villus height (P < 0.001) and crypt depth (P < 0.05) of the ileum mucosa were higher in broilers. The inclusion of SFH increased (P < 0.05) the AMEn content of the diet but did not affect bird performance, moisture content of the excreta, or the concentration and profile of fatty acids in the cecum. Dietary SFH increased gizzard weight and reduced gizzard pH (P < 0.001) at both ages. In conclusion, broilers had better growth performance, nutrient retention, and ileum absorptive capacity than pullets. The inclusion of 3% SFH at the expense of the control diet did not have any negative effect on chick performance and, in fact, increased gizzard weight, reduced gizzard pH, and improved the energy content of the diet