Distillers feeds and feed fractions of barley in the diets of laying hens

Authors

• Matti Näsi University of Helsinki, Department of Animal Husbandry, 00710 Helsinki, Finland

DOI: https://doi.org/10.23986/afsci.72916

Abstract

Two experiments using 551 and 537 LSK-61 WL laying hens in the tests were conducted to evaluate hen performance and egg quality when graded levels of barley or wheat distillers feeds (BDDGS, WDDGS) from conventional process and barley protein and fibre (BP, BF) from integrated starch-ethanol production were incorporated into the diets. In the first exp. hens were fed diets containing 200 g/kg diet of WDDGS or 100 or 200 g BDDGS either with or without cellulase addition, respectively. In the second trial hens were fed diets with 50 or 100g BP as protein supplement or 100 or 200g/kg diet BF with or without multienzyme (Avizyme) addition. Each diet with similar contents of ME, CP, lysine and S-amino acids was fed to hens from 34 to 58 wk of age following 4-wk pretreatment and 2-wk transition periods. There were only small dietary effects and no significant differences in performance due to treatment in either trial. The production level was rather high; on average the laying rate was 82.3 and 84.5 %, feed intake 119 g and 118 g/d and FCR 2.42 and 2.37 kg feed/kg eggs in exp. 1 and 2, respectively, indicating no adverse effects of the supplements used. A linear decrease (P < 0.01) in egg weight and yolk colour intensity (P <0.01) was found in hens fed on diets with BP, while shell-% was linear improved P<0.01) in both BP and BF diets. Distillery feeds and barley feed fractions could be used in laying hens up to 200 g/kg without any reduction in production and up to two thirds of soybean protein could be replaced in diets fortfied with pure amino acids. The treatment of DDGS with cellulase or supplementation of multienzyme in BF diet had no effect on performance except that yolk colour was lighter in group on multienzyme treated BF diet.