Logo image
Back
Afternoon Calcium and Vitamin D Supplementation in Water: A Targeted Approach to Improve Laying Hen Nutrition
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Afternoon Calcium and Vitamin D Supplementation in Water: A Targeted Approach to Improve Laying Hen Nutrition

Nasima Akter, Thi Hiep Dao, Tamsyn M. Crowley, Sukirno, Aamir Nawab and Amy F. Moss
Animals, Vol.15(5), pp.1-21
03/03/2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15050720
PMID: 40076003
pdf
Afternoon Calcium and Vitamin D Supplementation in Water667.62 kBDownloadView
Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0,  Open Access
url
Afternoon Calcium and Vitamin D Supplementation in WaterView
Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0,  Open

Related links

Metrics

147 File views/ downloads
4 Record Views
1 Times Cited - Web of Science
Article has an altmetric score of 1

See more details

13 readers on Mendeley

Abstract

AM/PM feeding Ca precision feeding egg quality laying hens serum Ca vitamin D water-soluble minerals
Abstract: A modified AM/PM strategy was evaluated in this study by supplementing calcium (Ca) in afternoon/evening (PM) drinking water instead of feed, offering an alternative to supplying two diets. A 10-week trial was conducted with 288 Hy-Line Brown hens (56 weeks old) housed on the floor in 18 pens (16 hens per pen; 9 replicate pens per treatment). The control diet contained 4.5% Ca, while the AM/PM treatment had 4.1% in feed with additional Ca and vitamin D supplemented through PM drinking water, with other nutrients kept constant in both diets. Daily egg production and weekly feed and water consumption were recorded. Hen weight, welfare scores, and egg quality were assessed at weeks 5 and 10. Blood, ileal digesta, and tibia samples were collected (from 4 hens/pen) at week 10 for serum Ca and vitamin D, digestibility, and bone analyses. Liver and kidney weights, as well as keel bone scores, were also recorded at week 10. Hens on the AM/PM diet consumed significantly less water (171.23 vs. 196.85 mL/bird/day; p < 0.001) and had a significantly higher serum vitamin D (27.59 vs. 22.64 ng/mL; p = 0.014), with a tendency towards elevated serum calcium levels (31.99 vs. 29.74 mg/dL; p = 0.089) compared to the control group. No differences in laying performance, coefficient of variance (CV%) in individual hen and egg weight, liver and kidney weight, or keel and tibia characteristics were observed between treatments (p > 0.05). Similarly, there was no treatment effect on egg quality, and welfare parameters at week 5 and 10, except for smaller eggs (57.13 vs. 57.96; p = 0.015), and reduced chest (0.96 vs. 1.16; p = 0.028) and belly feather damage (1.34 vs. 1.55; p = 0.021), respectively, in hens of the AM/PM treatment compared to the control at week 10. The AM/PM treatment improved ileal digestible energy as is (9.00 vs. 8.22; p = 0.022) and as dry matter (10.00 vs. 9.06; p = 0.014) compared to the control one. Animals 2025, 15, 720 https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15050720 Animals 2025, 15, 720 2 of 21 Overall, it demonstrated comparable performance to the control, with added benefits of reduced water intake, better feather condition and vitamin D level and energy digestibility.

Details

Logo image