• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.265-271
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• 2004

A feeding trial was conducted to investigate the influence of feeding Lactobacillus reuteri culture (LR) on productive performance, intestinal microflora and availability in laying hens. Four hundred and eighty, Isa-Brown layers, 49 weeks of age, were fed diets supplemented with LR at the level of 0 (control), 0.1, 0.2, and $0.4\%$ of the diets for eight weeks. Egg production and egg weight were measured daily. Feed intake was weighed every two weeks. Egg quality was measured three times at the start, mid-term, and end of the experiment. Intestinal microflora were examined for Lactobacillus spp., E. coli and Salmonella at the end of the experiment. Overall egg production was the highest in $0.2\%$ LR (P<0.05), but that of $0.1\%$ or $0.4\%$ LR treatments did not significantly differ from that of control. Egg weight was significantly higher in LR feeding group than the control (P<0.05). Daily egg mass was significantly higher in $0.2\%$ and $0.4\%$ LR treatments compared to the control and $0.1\%$ LR (P<0.05). The number of jumbo and extra large eggs were increased in LR supplemented groups, especially in $0.1\%$ LR. Feed intake of layers fed LR supplemented diets tended to be lower than the control. However, feed conversion ratio significantly improved in LR supplemented groups (P<0.05). Availability of dry matter and crude protein improved significantly in $0.4\%$ LR treatment (P<0.05). But, those of ether extract and crude ash were not significantly different among treatments. Eggshell breaking strength and eggshell thickness were not significantly influenced by LR supplementation, and Haugh unit and yolk index were also similar to the control. Total number of Lactobacillus spp. in ileum and cecum fed LR supplemented diets were significantly higher than those of the control (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in intestinal E. coli and Salmonella in all treatments. Therefore, it is concluded that dietary supplementation of Lactobacillus reuteri culture can improve the laying performance, feed efficiency and intestinal Lactobacillus.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.195-202
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• 2006

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of dietary selenium sources on performance and selenium retention in broiler chickens and laying hens. In experiment 1, the effects of dietary selenium sources and levels on the weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion, and selenium retention of meat in broiler chickens were investigated. for each growth phase, the basal diet was supplemented with 0 (control), 0.12 and 0.24 ppm Se from sodium selenite (SS) and 0.12, 0.24 and 0.60 ppm Se from selenium yeast(SY). Weight gain was significantly increased(P<0.05) in supplemental 0.24 and 0.60 ppm SY compared to the 0.24 ppm SS by diet during day 1 to 35, but feed intake and feed conversion were not affected by the source or the level of Se. Selenium concentrations of breast and leg muscle were significantly increased(P<0.05) in supplemental SS and SY compared to the control, and linearly increased(P<0.05) as dietary. Se level increased by SY, but there was no difference in supplemental 0.12 ppm SS compared to 0.24 ppm SS. In experiment 2, 12-week-experiment using Hy-Line laying hens(31 wk of age) was conducted to compare the effects of selenium sources and levels on egg production, egg weight, daily egg mass, feed intake, feed conversion, egg quality, and selenium retention of egg in laying hens. A corn-soybean meal basal diet was supplemented with 0 (control), 0.06 and 0.12 ppm Se from sodium selenite (SS) and 0.06, 0.12 and 0.30 ppm Se from selenium yeast(SY). Feed conversion was significantly improved(P<0.05) in supplemental 0.06 ppm SS compared to the control, but egg production, egg weight, daily egg mass, and feed intake were not affected by source and level of Se. Haugh unit was not affected by source or level of Se. Yolk color was significantly(P<0.05) higher in supplemental 0.3 ppm SY compared to the control and other supplement in week 12. Eggshell breaking strength was significantly(P<0.05) higher in supplemental 0.06 ppm SY(P<0.05). Thickness of eggshell was not affected by source or level of Se. Se concentrations of egg was significantly improved(P<0.05) in supplemental SS and SY compared to the control, and was significantly increased(P<0.05) as dietary Se level increased by SS and SY, especially SY more effective compared to the SS.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.33-42
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• 1991

In order to study effects of the 9round charcoal and organic acid on the egg production, White Leghorn strain(Hyline) layer of 113 week-old were fed control diet during a week of previous feeding and subsquent experimental diets during 12 weeks of experimental feeding . The experimental diets were the basal (control) diet composed of mainly corn-soybean meal, diet (CPB) substituted 0.5％ of ground charcoal with the defatted rice bran of the control, diet (PWV) added 0.1 mM(based on the acetic acid) of wood vinegar in the CPD and diet(PFA) added 0.1 mM (based on the acetic acid) of fermented acetic acid in the CPD. During experimental feeding period, birds (ed control, CPD and PWV diets showed similar feed intake which was shown a decreasing tendency in birds fed PFA diet as the passage of experimental feeding period. Birds fed experimental diets containing ground charcoal were tended to increase egg weight (g/egg) , while which of birds fed CPD was higher(P＜0.05) than that fed control diet. Chicks fed the control, CPD and PWV diets produced 75.9, 75.0 and 75. 9％ of egg, respectively, which were significantly(P＜0.05) higher than those of birds fed PFA. Daily egg mass(g/bird) were reached to 48.6, 49.9 and 49.5g i,1 layer fed the control, CPD and PWV diets, respectively, showing an increasing tendency in layer fed CPD and PWV compared with those of birds fed control, which were significantly (P＜0.05) higher than those of birds fed PFA . Although the effect of experimental diets on the feed efficiency (egg/feed) was not found, which was shown an increasing tendency in layer fed CPD compared with those in control diet. Compared with the incidence of cracked or shelless eggs in birds fed control diet, which were lowered to 37％ in birds fed CPD diet and 70％ in PWV-fed birds and increased to two times in birds fed PFA . The contents of cholesterol in egg was not affected by experimental diets, while birds fed CPD diet increased significantly(P＜0.05) the daily biosynthesis of egg protein and showed a trend to increase the thickness of eggshell and eggshell contents per eggs compared with that of control diet-fed birds. The results indicated that the ground charcoal powder improved the performance of layer.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.119-124
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• 2018

This study was conducted to assess the effect of dietary addition of Germanium (Ge) on performance, egg quality, serum biochemical properties and yolk fatty acid composition in laying hens. At 74 weeks of age, a total of 360 Hy-line brown commercial layers were divided into four treatments with five replicates per treatment. Four dietary levels of Ge (0, 1, 2 and 4%) were added to the basal diets (ME: 2,750 kcal/kg, CP: 16%) and fed corresponding diet for a period of 12 weeks. The effects of these treatments on production performance and egg quality were measured three times at four week intervals, and at the end of the experiment, blood and egg yolk fatty acid were analyzed. The results showed that production performance parameters including egg production rate, feed intake, egg weight, egg mass and feed conversion ratio were non-significant, but dietary addition of 2% Ge tended to increase egg production rate. Eggshell strength was found to be significantly higher in Ge supplemented groups than in the control group (P<0.05), and eggshell thickness was also trended to be improved in Ge treated groups. In serum, triglyceride content was significantly greater (P<0.05), and the highest total cholesterol was found in hens of the control group as compared with that of the Ge supplemented groups. The yolk fatty acid composition including polyunsaturated fatty acid, unsaturated fatty acid and saturated fatty acid were not affected among the treatments but addition of 2 or 4% Ge in basal diet had significantly (P<0.05) increased monounsaturated fatty acid. Therefore, supplementation of Ge in laying hens diet has positive effects on egg quality and triglyceride in serum.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.22 no.7
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• pp.880-888
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• 2012

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of inuloprebiotics (INPs), an alternative antibacterial growth promotor, from Jerusalem artichoke extract (Helianthus tuberosus L.) on egg production and quality in Hyline brown laying hens. The hens were divided randomly into four treatment groups and housed in individual cages for 10 weeks: a control group (0 ppm INP) (T1), 450 ppm (T2), 600 ppm (T3), and 750 ppm (T4). Egg production, egg weight, Haugh unit, eggshell thickness, and breaking strength were significantly higher in all of the INP-treated groups compared with the control (p<0.05). Egg cholesterol was highest in the T1 group and decreased with INP addition from 15.04 to 17.98% (p<0.05). Compared with the T1 group, triglycerides in the blood and in total cholesterol decreased significantly in groups T2, T3, and T4 by 21.71-24.07% and 27.17-30.36%, respectively (p<0.05). The growth of cecum Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus was stimulated in groups T2, T3, and T4 compared with T1, whereas the growth of Escherichia and Salmonella was clearly inhibited (p<0.05). The results suggest that the addition of 450 ppm INP to the diet of laying hens can improve egg production and egg quality.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.18 no.12
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• pp.1769-1774
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• 2005

This experiment was carried out to evaluate the effects of feeding green tea powder on laying performance and egg quality in hens. A total 180 'Tetran Brown' laying hens aged 40 weeks were assigned to 6 treatments in a completely randomized design. Each treatment consisted of five replicates accommodating six layers per replication. The experimental diets were a negative control containing no green tea, a positive control diet containing antibiotics (0.05% chlortetracycline) and diets containing 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5% and 2.0% green tea powder. Egg production rate of layers fed the diets containing green tea powder did not differ significantly from that of the negative and positive controls (p>0.05). Egg weight was decreased significantly in the group fed the diet containing 0.5% green tea powder (p<0.05). Feed intake of layers was significantly higher for the diet containing 1.5% green tea powder compared to that of negative and positive control diets (p<0.05). The eggshell thickness reduced significantly in the layer group fed the diets containing green tea powder regardless of dietary levels (p<0.05). Green tea powder tended to reduce egg yolk cholesterol in this experiment. Particularly, dietary 2% level of green tea powder significantly suppressed the cholesterol contents of the egg yolk (p<0.05). Thiobarbituric acid value (TBA) of egg yolk was significantly reduced by green tea diets (p<0.05). The yellowness of egg yolk was increased in the layers fed the 2.0% green tea diet compared with that of control diet (p<0.005). The Linoleic and $\alpha$-linolenic acids tended to increase in the group fed diets containing 1.5% green tea powder even though there were no significant differences among treatments (p>0.05). The oleic and docosahexaenoic acid contents of the egg yolk were similar among treatments (p>0.05). Based on the results of the experiment, it is concluded that green tea powder inclusion in the diet for layers at 2.0% level can reduce the cholesterol content and TBA value of the egg yolk, implying its potential effect on egg quality parameters.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.573-581
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• 2006

This experiment was conducted to determine the effects of supplemental methionine, lysine, choline, and sulfur on laying performance, metabolic parameters, and egg quality of hens fed diets containing sorghum (Sorghum vulgare) during the peak laying period. Lohman layers (n = 144), 30-wk of age as 6 replicate cages of 4 hens, were allocated randomly to receive basal diets containing either 22% corn (B) or 22% sorghum (BS) and diets BS plus 0.57% methionine, 0.66% lysine, 0.47% choline, or 0.05% sulfur for 98 d. Feed intake (FI) and egg production (EP) were recorded daily, egg weight (EW) was measured bi-weekly, and body weight (BW) was measured monthly. A sample of 12 eggs from each experimental group was collected every month to evaluate egg quality. At the end of the experiment, blood samples were collected for metabolite concentrations. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA as repeated measures and significant differences between the experimental groups were assessed using Duncan's Multiple Range test. Partial replacement of corn with sorghum in the basal diet did not affect BW, EP, and FCR but increased FI by 5.7% and EW by 2.4%. The effects of additives on laying performance were variable. Except for serum total protein (STP) concentration, other metabolic parameters were not affected by partial replacement of corn with sorghum in the basal diet. Hens fed diet BS had lower SPT concentration than hens fed diet B. Except for methionine supplementation, other supplements ameliorated depression in STP concentration. The additives did not affect other metabolic parameters. Egg quality responses to the experimental diets were also variable. Partial replacement of corn with sorghum in the basal diet did not affect eggshell characteristics (both thickness and stiffness), whereas it had variable effects on inner egg quality parameters (increased yolk index, depressed yolk color, and unaltered albumen index and Haugh unit). In conclusion, laying hen diets could include low-tannin sorghum (0.26%) up to 22% without necessitating extra supplements to overcome compromised performance.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.206-210
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• 2017

Objective: A study was conducted to test six threonine (Thr) levels (0.39%, 0.44%, 0.49%, 0.54%, 0.59%, and 0.64%) to estimate the optimal dietary Thr requirements for Longyan laying ducks from 17 to 45 wk of age. Methods: Nine hundred Longyan ducks aged 17 wk were assigned randomly to the six dietary treatments, where each treatment comprised six replicate pens with 25 ducks per pen. Results: Increasing the Thr level enhanced egg production, egg weight, egg mass, and the feed conversion ratio (FCR) (linearly or quadratically; p<0.05). The Haugh unit score, yolk color, albumen height, and the weight, percentage, thickness, and breaking strength of the eggshell did not response to increases in the Thr levels, but the albumen weight and its proportion increased significantly (p<0.05), whereas the yolk weight and its proportion decreased significantly as the Thr levels increased. Conclusion: According to a regression model, the optimal Thr requirement for egg production, egg mass, and FCR in Longyan ducks is 0.57%, while 0.58% is the optimal level for egg weight from 17 to 45 wk of age.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.28 no.7
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• pp.1006-1013
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• 2015

Heat-stress remains a costly issue for animal production, especially for poultry as they lack sweat glands, and alleviating heat-stress is necessary for ensuring animal production in hot environment. A high ${\gamma}$-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-producer Lactobacillus strain was used to investigate the effect of dietary GABA-producer on laying performance and egg quality in heat-stressed Hy-line brown hens. Hy-Line brown hens (n = 1,164) at 280 days of age were randomly divided into 4 groups based on the amount of freeze-dried GABA-producer added to the basal diet as follows: i) 0 mg/kg, ii) 25 mg/kg, iii) 50 mg/kg, and iv) 100 mg/kg. All hens were subjected to heat-stress treatment through maintaining the temperature and the relative humidity at $28.83{\pm}3.85^{\circ}C$ and 37% to 53.9%, respectively. During the experiment, laying rate, egg weight and feed intake of hens were recorded daily. At the 30th and 60th day after the start of the experiment, biochemical parameters, enzyme activity and immune activity in serum were measured. Egg production, average egg weight, average daily feed intake, feed conversion ratio and percentage of speckled egg, soft shell egg and misshaped egg were significantly improved (p<0.05) by the increasing supplementation of the dietary GABA-producer. Shape index, eggshell thickness, strength and weight were increased linearly with increasing GABA-producer supplementation. The level of calcium, phosphorus, glucose, total protein and albumin in serum of the hens fed GABA-producing strain supplemented diet was significantly higher (p<0.05) than that of the hens fed the basal diet, whereas cholesterol level was decreased. Compared with the basal diet, GABA-producer strain supplementation increased serum level of glutathione peroxidase (p = 0.009) and superoxide dismutase. In conclusion, GABA-producer played an important role in alleviating heat-stress, the isolated GABA-producer strain might be a potential natural and safe probiotic to use to improve laying performance and egg quality in heat-stressed hens.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.143-147
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• 2005

This study was conducted to evaluate the feeding value of the Flammulina veluipes media by-product(FMB) in laying hens(Hy-Line Brown). A total of three hundreds sixty were fed corn-soy based experimental diets containing 0(control), 5.0(T1), and $10\%(T2)$ FMB for 12 weeks. There were no significant differences among the treatments in egg production, egg weight, egg mass, feed conversion and viability during the experimental period. Feed intake was significantly(P<0.05) lowered in control(120.5g) than 72(123.9g). There were no significant differences among the treatments eggshell breaking strength, thickness and haugh unit, whereas the yolk color of T1 and T2 were significantly love. than control(p<0.05). In conclusion, the FMB can be used as resource of feed in laying hen feed at $5.0\%$ level without effect on performance and egg qualify. However, dietary pigments must be added when the FMB was used as a feed ingredients more than $10\%$ in diets.