Disequilibrium feeding pattern more consistent with egg-laying physiology improves eggshell quality of laying hens during late laying period.

ABSTRACT: Disequilibrium feeding pattern, as a new feeding technique, more suitable for egg-laying physiology, was feeding two-thirds diet to hens after 14:00 every day without modifying diet nutrient levels and changing daily feed rationing, to better meet calcium requirement of hens during eggshell formation. To verifying its application on eggshell quality of aged laying hens, 288 Hy-line laying hens (average body weight 2.03 ± 0.09 kg) at the age of 70 wk, as experimental birds, were randomly allocated into four groups (6 replicates/group, 12 hens/replicate); the experiment for eight weeks used a 2 × 2 arrangement with the factors- dietary calcium level (3.5% and 3.0%) and feeding pattern (equilibrium and disequilibrium), and univariate general linear model to analyze the main effects. The diseq

SUBMITTER: Hu Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12664107 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature