Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gbm5v Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T22:16:32.283Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Improvement of flock productivity through supply of vitamins for higher laying performance and better egg quality

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 August 2009

G.M. WEBER
G.M. WEBER*
Affiliation:
DSM Nutritional Products Ltd, R&D Animal Nutrition and Health, PO Box 2676, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland
*
Corresponding author: gilbert.weber@dsm.com
Get access

Abstract

An adequate supply of all nutrients, including proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and water, has to be provided to support maximum productivity of laying hens. Among these nutrients, vitamins are particularly important, since they are essential for optimum health as well as normal physiological functions of the hens. As most vitamins cannot be synthesized by poultry in sufficient amounts to meet physiological demand, they must be obtained from the diet. The absence from feed or impaired absorption or utilization of vitamins can lead to specific deficiency disorders. This review reports on the occurrence and the physiological functions of all vitamins and summarizes research related to the requirements for and the beneficial effects of supplemental vitamins for laying hens. The recommendations for dietary supplementation of vitamins from various organizations are compared and put into perspective of modern poultry genotypes and current husbandry conditions. As there is good evidence that the minimum dietary vitamin levels, required to prevent clinical deficiencies may not support optimum health, performance and welfare of poultry under today's conditions it is recommended to include a safety margin to the vitamin requirements of laying hens.

Keywords

layersegg qualityvitaminsproductivity
Type
Review Article
Information
World's Poultry Science Journal , Volume 65 , Issue 3 , September 2009 , pp. 443 - 458
Copyright
Copyright © World's Poultry Science Association 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

ABEND, R., JEROCH, H. and HENNIG, A. (1977) The vitamin B6 requirements of the laying hen for reproduction. Archiv für Tierernährung 27: 185-93.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
ARIJENIWA, A., IKHIMIOYA, I., BAMIDELE, O.K. and OGUNMODEDE, B.K. (1996) Riboflavin requirement of breeding hens in a humid tropical environment. Journal of Applied Animal Research 10: 163-166.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
AWT (Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Wirkstoffe in der Tierernährung), (2002) Vitamins in Animal Nutrition.Google Scholar
BALNAVE, D. (1975) The effects on liver metabolism of administering excesses of biotin to immature pullets and laying hens. British Poultry Science 16: 641-643.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
BEYNEN, A.C., SIJTSMA, S.R., KIEPURSKI, A.K., WEST, C.E., BAUMANS, V., VAN HERCK, H., STAFLEU, F.R. AND VAN TINTELEN and G., (1989) Objective clinical examination of poultry as illustrated by the comparison of chickens with different vitamin A status. Laboratory Animals 23: 307-312.Google Scholar
BOLLENGIER-LEE, S., MITCHELL, M.A., UTOMO, D.B., WILLIAMS, P.E. and WHITEHEAD, C.C. (1998) Influence of high dietary vitamin E supplementation on egg production and plasma characteristics in hens subjected to heat stress. British Poultry Science 39: 106-112.Google Scholar
BOLLENGIER-LEE, S., WILLIAMS, P.E. and WHITEHEAD, C.C. (1999) Optimal dietary concentration of vitamin E for alleviating the effect of heat stress on egg production in laying hens. British Poultry Science 40: 102-107.Google Scholar
BOURRE, J.M. and GALEA, F. (2006) An important source of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins D and E, carotenoids, iodine and selenium: a new natural multi-enriched egg. Journal of Nutrition Health & Aging 10: 371-376.Google Scholar
BUENROSTRO, J.L. and KRATZER, F.H. (1984) Use of plasma and egg yolk biotin of white Leghorn hens to assess biotin availability from feedstuffs. Poultry Science 63: 1563-1570.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
CHENG, T.K., COON, C.N. and HAMRE, M.L. (1990) Effect of environmental stress on the ascorbic acid requirement of laying hens. Poultry Science 69: 774-780.Google Scholar
COŞKUN, B., INAL, F., CELIK, I., ERGANIŞ, O., TIFTIK, A.M., KURTOGLU, F., KUYUCUOGLU, Y. and OK, U. (1998) Effects of dietary levels of vitamin A on the egg yield and immune responses of laying hens. Poultry Science 77: 542-546.Google Scholar
DSM, (2006) DSM Vitamin supplementation guidelines.Google Scholar
FLEMING, R.H., MCCORMACK, H.A., MCTEIR, L. and WHITEHEAD, C.C. (2003) Effects of dietary particulate limestone, vitamin K3 and fluoride and photostimulation on skeletal morphology and osteoporosis in laying hens. British Poultry Science 44: 683-689.Google Scholar
FLEMING, R.H. (2008) Nutritional factors affecting poultry bone health. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 67: 177-183.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
GALOBART, J., BARROETA, A.C., BAUCELLS, M.D., CORTINAS, L. and GUARDIOLA, F. (2001) Alpha-tocopherol transfer efficiency and lipid oxidation in fresh and spray-dried eggs enriched with omega3-polyunsaturated fatty acids. Poultry Science 80: 1496-1505.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
GOODSON-WILLIAMS, R., ROLAND SR., D.A. and MCGUIRE, J.A. (1986) Effects of feeding graded levels of vitamin D3 on egg shell pimpling in aged hens. Poultry Science 65: 1556-1560.Google Scholar
GRUNDER, A.A. and TSANG, C.P. (1984) Effects of vitamin D3 deficiency on adenosine triphosphatase activity of jejunums from white Leghorn hens. Poultry Science 63: 1073-1075.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
GRUNE, T., KRÄMER, K., HOPPE, P.P. and SIEMS, W. (2001) Enrichment of eggs with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids: Effects of vitamin E supplementation. Lipids 36: 833-838.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
HEBERT, K., HOUSE, J.D. and GUENTER, W. (2005) Effect of dietary folic acid supplementation on egg folate content and the performance and folate status of two strains of laying hens. Poultry Science 84: 1533-1538.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
HOUSE, J.D., BRAUN, K., BALLANCE, D.M., O'CONNOR, C.P. and GUENTER, W. (2002) The enrichment of eggs with folic acid through supplementation of the laying hen diet. Poultry Science 81: 1332-1337.Google Scholar
INGROSE, R.C., MANOUKAS, A.G. and HINKSON, R. (1965) The niacin requirement of the hen. Poultry Science 44: 1053-1065.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
JENSEN, L.S., CHANG, C.H. and MAURICE, D.V. (1976) Effect of biotin and niacin on lipid content of livers in the laying hen. Poultry Science 55: 1771-1773.Google Scholar
JIANG, Y.H., MCGEACHIN, R.B. and BAILEY, C.A. (1994) Alpha-tocopherol, beta-carotene, and retinol enrichment of chicken eggs. Poultry Science 73: 1137-1143.Google Scholar
LAVELLE, P.A., LLOYD, Q.P., GAY, C.V. and LEACH, R.M. JR. (1994) Vitamin K deficiency does not functionally impair skeletal metabolism of laying hens and their progeny. Journal of Nutrition 124: 1704.Google Scholar
LEESON, S., CASTON, L.J. and SUMMERS, J.D. (1991) Response of laying hens to supplemental niacin. Poultry Science 70: 1231-1235.Google Scholar
LIN, H., WANG, L.F., SONG, F.L., XIE, Y.M. and YANG, Q.M. (2002) Effect of dietary supplemental levels of vitamin A on the egg production and immune responses of heat-stressed laying hens. Poultry Science 81: 458-465.Google Scholar
NARBAITZ, R., TSANG, C.P., GRUNDER, A.A. and SOARES, J.H. JR. (1987) Scanning electron microscopy of thin and soft shells induced by feeding calcium-deficient or vitamin D-deficient diets to laying hens. Poultry Science 66: 341-347.Google Scholar
NRC, (1994) Nutrient requirements of poultry.Google Scholar
OLKOWSKI, A.A. and CLASSEN, H.L. (1996) The study of thiamine requirement in broiler chickens. International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research 66: 332-341.Google Scholar
OUART, M.D., HARMS, R.H. and WILSON, H.R. (1987) Effect of graded levels of niacin in corn-soy and wheat-soy diets on laying hens. Poultry Science 66: 467-470.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
PUTHPONGSIRIPORN, U., SCHEIDELER, S.E., SELL, J.L. and BECK, M.M. (2001) Effects of vitamin E and C supplementation on performance, in vitro lymphocyte proliferation, and antioxidant status of laying hens during heat stress. Poultry Science 80: 1190-1200.Google Scholar
RICHTER, G., MARCKWARDT, E., HENNIG, A. and STEINBACH, G. (1986) Vitamin E requirements of laying hens. Archiv für Tierernährung 36: 1133-1143.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
RICHTER, G., SITTE, E. and PETZOLD, M. (1990) The vitamin A supply of laying hens including during rearing. 2. Effect of varied vitamin A supplementation of mixed feed in rearing on production in the laying period. Archiv für Tierernährung 40: 221-227.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
SAHIN, K., SAHIN, N. and YARALIOGLU, S. (2002a) Effects of vitamin C and vitamin E on lipid peroxidation, blood serum metabolites, and mineral concentrations of laying hens reared at high ambient temperature. Biological Trace Element Research 85: 35-45.Google Scholar
SAHIN, K., ONDERCI, M., SAHIN, N. AND AYDIN and S., (2002b) Effects of dietary chromium picolinate and ascorbic acid supplementation on egg production, egg quality and some serum metabolites of laying hens reared under a low ambient temperature (6 degrees C). Archiv für Tierernährung 56:41-49.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
SCHEIDELER, S.E. and FRONING, G.W. (1996) The combined influence of dietary flaxseed variety, level, form, and storage conditions on egg production and composition among vitamin E-supplemented hens. Poultry Science 75: 1221-1226.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
SHERWOOD, T.A., ALPHIN, R.L., SAYLOR, W.W. and WHITE, H.B. 3RD (1993) Folate metabolism and deposition in eggs by laying hens. Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics 307: 66-72.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
SOARES, J.H., KERR, J.M. and GRAY, R.W. (1995) 25-hydroxycholecalciferol in poultry nutrition. Poultry Science 74: 1919-1934.Google Scholar
SOTO-SOLANOVA, M.F. and HERNANDEZ, J.M. (2004) Practical study on the effect of feeding an optimum vitamin nutrition and 25-hydroxycholecalciferol on production and egg quality of layers. Proceedings XXII World's Poultry Congress, p 371.Google Scholar
SOTO-SOLANOVA, M. and SCHLIFFKA, W. (2007) Effect of Rovimix Hy•D in laying hen production. Proceedings 16th European Symposium on Poultry Nutrition, p. 360.Google Scholar
SQUIRES, M.W. and NABER, E.C. (1992) Vitamin profiles of eggs as indicators of nutritional status in the laying hen: Vitamin B12 study. Poultry Science 71: 2075-2082.Google Scholar
SQUIRES, M.W. and NABER, E.C. (1993a) Vitamin profiles of eggs as indicators of nutritional status in the laying hen: Vitamin A study. Poultry Science 72: 154-164.Google Scholar
SQUIRES, M.W. and NABER, E.C. (1993b) Vitamin profiles of eggs as indicators of nutritional status in the laying hen: Riboflavin study. Poultry Science 72: 483-494.Google Scholar
SÜNDER, A., HALLE, I. and FLACHOWSKY, G. (1999) Vitamin E hypervitaminosis in laying hens. Archiv für Tierernährung 52: 185-194.Google Scholar
SÜNDER, A. and FLACHOWSKY, G. (2001) Influence of high vitamin E dosages on retinol and carotinoid concentration in body tissues and eggs of laying hens. Archiv für Tierernährung 55: 43-52.Google Scholar
TAKAHASHI, N., SHINKI, T., ABE, E., HORIUCHI, N., YAMAGUCHI, A., YOSHIKI, S. and SUDA, T. (1983) The role of vitamin D in the medullary bone formation in egg-laying Japanese quail and in immature male chicks treated with sex hormones. Calcified Tissue International 35: 465-471.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
TSANG, C.P. and GRUNDER, A.A. (1993) Effect of dietary contents of cholecalciferol, 1 alpha,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol and 24,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol on blood concentrations of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol, 1 alpha,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol, total calcium and eggshell quality. British Poultry Science 34: 1021-1027.Google Scholar
WHITEHEAD, C.C. (1980) Performance of laying hens fed on practical diets containing different levels of supplemental biotin during the rearing and laying stages. British Journal of Nutrition 44: 151-159.Google Scholar
WHITEHEAD, C.C. (2001) Nicotinic acid in poultry nutrition. Feed Mix 9: 32-34.Google Scholar