• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.13 no.7
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• pp.980-985
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• 2000

Influences of Japanese green tea powder (GTP) supplementation to commercial diet on laying performance and egg quality were studied by using 60 laying hens. The experimental diet with or without 0.6% GTP was given ad libitum to the birds during the period from 6 to 71 weeks of age. The birds started egg production from 21 wk of age regardless GTP feeding. Body weight, feed intake, egg weight tended to decrease with GTP supplementation, while egg production rate tended to increase. Haugh unit score was significantly increased with GTP, which accompanied with the increased albumen height. These were observed almost throughout the laying period over 50 wk. Gel proportion in thick albumen was decreased as storage time is prolonged, then higher values of the gel proportion were recorded in the eggs from GTP group. Thick albumen of the eggs from GTP-fed layers had more carbohydrate than that from control layers. All these indicate physical stability of thick albumen in the eggs from GTP group. Thiobarbituric acid content of egg yolk tended to remain lower in the eggs from GTP group during 5-10 days of storage at room temperature. Levels of egg yolk cholesterol and yolk lipid were significantly reduced by GTP feeding. There were no significant differences in eggshell weight, shell thickness and shell strength between the two groups. Thyroid gland and liver from hens slaughtered at 71 wk of age did not differ in weight irrespective of GTP feeding. The present results suggest that GTP could modify components of edible part of egg, leading to the characteristics favourable to consumers such as high durability of thick albumen and less cholesterol in yolk, without altering general performance of the layers throughout this year round experiment.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.500-508
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• 2024

Objective: Due to current selection practices for increased egg production and peak persistency, the production profile, age at maturity, and body weight criteria for commercial layers are constantly changing. Body weight and age at the time of photostimulation will thus always be the factors that need to be adequately addressed among various production systems. The current study was carried out to determine the effects of pullets' body weight (low, medium, and heavy) on their performance, welfare, physiological response, and hormonal profile. Methods: With regard to live weight, 150 16-week-old pullets were divided into three groups using a completely randomized design (CRD) and held until the 50th week. One-way analysis of variance was used to evaluate the data under the CRD, and the least significant difference test was used to distinguish between treatment means. Results: In comparison to the medium and light birds, the heavy birds had higher body weight at maturity, an earlier age at maturity, and higher egg weight, eggshell weight, eggshell thickness, egg yolk index, breaking strength, egg surface area, egg shape index, egg volume, and hormonal profile except corticosterone. However, the medium and light birds had lower feed consumption rates per dozen eggs and per kilogram of egg mass than the heavy birds. Light birds showed greater body weight gain, egg production, and egg specific gravity than the other categories. At 20 weeks of age, physiological response, welfare aspects, and catalase were non-significant; however, at 50 weeks of age, all these factors-aside from catalase-were extremely significant. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that layers can function at lower body weights during photostimulation; hence, dietary regimens that result in lighter pullets may be preferable. Additionally, the welfare of the birds was not compromised by the lighter weight group.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.975-980
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• 2004

An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of dietary supplementation of the yeast Rhodotorula glutinis(Glutinicus) on the performance and egg quality of layers. A total of 360 ISA Brown layers at 72 weeks old were assigned to one of the following 6 diets: control, 25 ppm$\beta$-carotene, 0.50%0, 1%0, 2% and 4% Glutinicus supplemented diets. Each treatment was replicated three times with 20 birds housed in 2 bird cage units. Glutinicus supplementation at the level of 0.5% significantly(p < 0.05) improved egg production and FCR Soft and broken egg production rate decreased as the level of Glutinicus supplementation increased. Eggshell strength was highest in 4 % Glutinicus supplementation. Egg yolk color increased linearly as the level of Glutinicus supplementation increased up to 2% of the diet. It was concluded that Glutinicus supplementation at the level of 0.5% can be recommended for the improvement of egg production while 2.0% can be recommended for egg yolk pigmentation.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2003

The objects of this study were to develop a new strain which has resistance to fowl typhoid, high performance in laying, and producing brown shell eggs favored by domestic consumers. Several White Leghorn (WL) breeds known as possessing genetic resistance to fowl typhoid and several brown shell egg breeds such as susceptible to the disease were used to produce the controlled strains with cross mating between the strains within the breeds and the experimental strains with crossbreeding between the breeds. The crossbred strains were Chungnong(CN) 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26. The controlled strains were ISA brown CC, Hyline brown CC and Lohman brown CC. The survival rates were 99.95% for chicks of age 0∼l7 weeks and 91% for adult chickens of age 18∼72 weeks. There was no difference in survival rate between the crossbred and the controlled strains. The means of age of lst egg laying were 147 to 148 days and no difference was observed between the crossbred and the controlled. The egg Production rates of a9e 18∼72 weeks were 83.76% far the crossbred strains and 77.82% for the controlled strains, which is significantly higher in the crossbred than controlled strains by 6%. The numbers of the hen housed egg Production of age 18∼72 weeks were 292.33 eggs for the crossbred strains and 271.31 eggs fur the controlled strains. The difference of 21 eggs more produced by the crossbred than by the controlled was statistically significant. The mean egg weights of age 18∼72 weeks were 64.32g for the crossbred strains and 60.73g for the controlled strains, and the difference of 3.59g was statistically significant. The feed conversion rates during the age of 18 to 72 weeks were 2.297 for the crossbred strains and 2.454 for the controlled strains. The crossbreds were reduced feed consumption by 157g for 1kg of egg Production which was statistically significant. Haugh unit(H$.$u) at the age of 72 weeks were 82.20 for the crossbred strains and 77.82 for the controlled strains. The crossbred strains were superior quality by 4.38 H$.$u. There were no significant differences in the yolk color and the eggshell thickness between the crossbred strains and the controlled strains. The eggshell color of the crossbred strains was light brown which is the medium color of the white eggshell strains and the brown eggshell strains. The body weights at the ages of 8, 12, 18, 42 and 71 weeks were not different between the crossbred strains and the controlled strains.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.702-707
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• 1998

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of a microbial enzyme (Roxazyme-$G^{(R)}$), a multicarbohydrases preparation, supplementation to the wheat-based layer diets. Diets were formulated to include different levels of wheat replacing yellow corn on isocaloric and isonitrogenous basis. The energy value of wheat in the enzyme supplemented diets was adjusted (spec-modified) to have 5% more ME than the wheat in diets without enzyme. A total of 864 Hy-$Line^{(R)}$ brown layers were assigned to 4 dietary treatments: 10% wheat (T1), 25% wheat (T2), 25% wheat (spec-modified)+ 0.01 % Roxazyme-$G^{(R)}$ (T3), and all wheat (spec-modified)+0.01% Roxazyme-$G^{(R)}$ (T4). Hen-day egg productions of T1 and T4 were significantly (p < 0.05) greater than that of T2 but not different from T3. Hen-housed egg production of T4 was significantly (p < 0.01) greater than those of T1 and T3 but not different from T2. Egg weights of T1 and T2 were significantly (p < 0.0 1) greater than that of T4. Feed consumption of T2 was significantly (p < 0.01) lower than other treatments. Feed conversion ratio (feed/egg mass) was not significantly different among treatments. Eggshell thickness of T1 was significantly (p < 0.01) greater than other treatments but ratio of broken eggs was not significantly different among treatments. Haugh unit of T4 was significantly greater (p < 0.05) than that of T2. Egg yolk color was significantly (p < 0.01) influenced by treatments in which enzyme treatment potentiated the yolk pigmentation. It was concluded that a multi-carbohydrases supplementation enables complete replacement of yellow com with wheat without loss of productivity and major egg quality parameters.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.63-71
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• 2018

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of age of laying hens on egg internal and external qualities. A total of 8,300 eggs were randomly collected from 15 grading & packaging (GP) centers, and 50 eggs per farm during April to May in 2015. Age of laying hens ranged from 18 to 65 weeks of age and they were classified into 5 age groups (18~25, 26~35, 36~45, 46~55, and 56~65 weeks). Egg weight increased, but the Haugh unit decreased as the age of laying hens increased. Yolk color was higher in eggs laid from 25~35 weeks of laying hens compared with that of 18~25-weeks-old chickens. The incidence of dirty eggs was highest (P<0.05) in 18~25 week group and remained constant after 26 weeks. Among eggshell defects, speckled and pimpled eggs increased as the age of laying hens increased. The incidence of calcium deposits and misshapen eggs was highest during 18~25 weeks of age and remained constant after 26 weeks. The percentage of total eggshell cracks increased as the age of laying hens increased. Among eggshell cracks, star- and hair-like cracks were frequently noted. The percentage of meat spot was higher than that of blood spot and their incidence was highest among the 56~65 week group. Age of laying hens significantly increased egg weight, incidence of pimpled or speckled eggs, star- or hair-like cracks, and meat spot. On the other hand, a significant negative interaction between age of laying hens and the Haugh unit was noted. In conclusion, our study revealed that the age of laying hens affected internal and external egg qualities.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.177-185
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• 2004

This experiment was conducted to examine the dietary effects of local granular ark shell(GAS) replacing limestone on egg shell quality in aged hens. A total of 200 Hy-Line Brown layers of 54-weeks-old were allotted into four treatments with five replications each. They were fed control(limestone only) 1% GAS, 2% GAS and 3% GAS diets for 6 weeks. GAS was substituted for coarse-type limestone at 0, 1, 2 or 3% of diet on weight basis. Particle sizes of limestone and GAS were within the ranges of 2~4 mm in diameters. In vitro HCl solubility of GAS was significantly lower(6.27 vs. 7.90%) compared to that of limestone(p < 0.05). The dietary treatment did not affect feed intake and egg production rate of the birds. Egg shell strength and thickness tended to be improved for birds fed the diets containing higher levels of GAS. The average egg shell strength and thickness of 2 or 3% GAS groups were significantly greater than those of the control (P < 0.05). The Tibial ash content of birds from 3% GAS group increased significantly as compared to that of the control. Tibial breaking strength, however, was not affected by the dietary treatment. Serum Ca and P contents of the birds were also not different among the dietary treatments. In conclusion, locally prepared GAS can be used as a calcium source in aged layer diet.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.145-150
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• 2010

This study was conducted to evaluate effects of dietary Agariemycetes on egg quality and fecal noxious gas concentration in laying hens. A total of two hundred forty laying hens were randomly allocated to four treatments with five replicates of twelve chicks per pen. The experiment lasted 42 days with a 7-day adjustment period. Dietary treatments were as follows: 1) CON (basal diet), 2) A1 (basal diet + Agariemycetes 0.1%), 3) A3 (basal diet + Agariemycetes 0.3%) and 4) A5 (basal diet + Agariemycetes 0.5%). There was no significant difference in egg production and egg weight between CON and Agariemycetes treatments. During the second week of the experiment, eggshell breaking strength was higher in A3 and A5 treatments than that in CON treatment (P<0.05). Besides, eggshell breaking strength in P5 treatment was higher when compared with that in CON treatment (P<0.05) in the sixth week. During the second week of the experiment, eggshell thickness was higher in Agariemycetes treatments than CON treatment (P<0.05). Also, A5 treatment was higher than other treatments in the fourth week of the experiment (P<0.05). At the end of the second week, yolk color unit in A5 treatment was lower compared with CON treatment (P<0.05). During the fourth week of the experiment, CON treatment was higher than A3 treatment (P<0.05). During the second week of the experiment, Haugh unit in A3 treatment was greater than that in CON treatment (P<0.05). At the end of six weeks, Haugh unit in CON treatment was lower than other treatments (P<0.05). Fecal ammonia and hydrogen sulfide were increased in Agariemycetes treatments when compared with CON treatment (P<0.05). Compared with CON and A5 treatments, fecal mercaptans was higher than in other treatments in first of the experiment (P<0.05). In conclusion, this study indicated that the addition of Agariemycetes in the diet improved the egg quality and decreased the feacal noxious gas concentration in laying hens.

• 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.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.