Production of Iron Enriched Eggs of Laying Hens

An experiment was conducted to investigate the efficiency of transfer of dietary iron sources to eggs of laying hens. Eighty ISA-Brown laying birds of 30 wk old were housed in 40 cages of 2 birds each. Eight birds in four cages were assigned to one of the following ten treatments: T1; control, T2; 100 ppm iron supplementation with iron-methionine chelate (Fe-Met-100), T3; Fe-Met- 200, T4; Fe-Met-300, T5; 100 ppm iron supplementation with iron sulfate ($FeSO_4$-100), T6; $FeSO_4$-200, T7; $FeSO_4$-300, T8; 100 ppm iron supplementation with Availa-$Fe^{(R)}$ (Availa-Fe-100), T9; Availa-Fe-200 and T10; Availa-Fe-300. Results of 40 d feeding trial showed that there were no consistent responses in laying performance by source and level of iron supplementation. However, eggshell strength and color were improved by Fe supplementation. Egg iron content was maximized at 10-15 days after feeding supplemental Fe. Fe- Met was the most effective source in enriching Fe of eggs followed by Availa-Fe and $FeSO_4$. Increasing supplementary Fe level more than 100 ppm was not effective in Fe-Met and Availa-Fe treatments. Average Fe enrichment of 18% was achieved after feeding Fe-Met-100 for 15 d. In conclusion, enrichment of Fe in egg could be effectively achieved by supplementation of Fe-Met-100 for 15 d.