Effect of Some Chelating Agents and Their Levels on Laying Hens

Authors : Oktay Yazgan

Pages : 69-86

View : 7 | Download : 19

Publication Date : 1991-02-15

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :The objective of this experiment was to evaluate effect of several chelating agents differing in their calcium stability constant on layer performance, egg shell quality, some blood parameters and calcium retention. In this study, 70 weeks old hens laying about at %60 production were fed three levels of IDA, HEDTA, EDTA and CDTA (0.1 and 1.0%) four weeks and two levels (0 and 0.1%) for eight weeks with 3.0% dietary calcium. There was a significant difference between the strain of the birds in all performance parameters. None of the performance parameters, except feed consumption were affected by different chelating agents. Performance of birds fed high level (1.0%) of any chelating agent were significantly lower than birds fed 0.1% level. Chelating agents did not influence any of the egg shell parameters measured in this experiment. Shell thickness and breaking strength were not affected by the level of chelating agents. Neither blood parameters, except hemoglobin and PCV, nor calcium retention was not affected by chelating agents, level of them, time of application and strain of the birds. At the end of the four weeks feeding trial birds on a high level of chelating agents were excluded from the experiment and birds fed low (0.1%) and zero level four more weeks to study the prolonged effect of low level of chelating agents on the performance and egg shell quality of laying hens. The significant difference in performance, except egg production, between the strain remain the same, Birds fed low level (0.1%) chelating agent consumed less feed, but none of the other performance parameters were affected by the different chelating agents, nor the level fed. There were significant difference between the periods, the general trend was a decrease from period one to two, then birds start to recover and performance parameters did increase during the third and fourth period of experiment. Neither level, nor stability constant of chelating agents made any difference in egg shell quality parameters. Some shell quality parameters improved considerably
Keywords : yumurta, bileşik, farklı seviye