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Effects of organic selenium and zinc on the aging process of laying hens

Author:
V. G. Stanley, P. Shanklyn, M. Daley, C. Gray, V. Vaughn, A. Hinton, M. Hume
Source:
Agrotechnology 2012 v.1 no.1 pp. 1-3
ISSN:
2168-9881
Subject:
animal age, corn, diet, egg albumen, egg production, egg shell, egg weight, egg yolk, feed conversion, feeds, hen feeding, laying hens, laying performance, lighting, molting, mortality, organometallic compounds, photoperiod, selenium, zinc
Abstract:
The objective of the study was to determine whether supplementing the diets of post-molted hens with organic selenium (Se) (Sel-Plex®) and/or organic Zinc (Zn) (Bio-Plex®)1 could improve laying hen performance. Prior to molting, 120-78 wk old laying hens were separated into four treatment groups of 30 hens per treatment and were subjected to molting. Molting was induced by reducing photoperiod from 16 h per day to 8 h, and the diet was changed from a standard layer diet (17% CP; 2830 ME/kg) to a straight crushed corn diet. When egg production was reduced to zero, the hens were fed a control diet, or a diet supplemented with 0.3 ppm Se/kg of feed; 20 ppm Zn/kg of feed, or a combination of Se and Zn. Lighting was restored gradually to post-molting period. Changes in daily egg production, egg weight, egg quality (albumen, yolk, and shell weights), feed utilization and hen mortality were recorded. Results indicated that mean egg production was significantly (P
Agid:
57383
Handle:
10113/57383