Abstract

Zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) are necessary for structural and metabolic functions of the body like, immune competence, physical growth, reproductive function, and neurobehavioral development. The deficiency of micronutrients is a severe public health distress in nearly all developing countries which leads to the syndrome of malnutrition mostly in children and women. The present study was conducted to compare the effect of different levels of Fe and Zn on feed intake (FI), feed conversion ratio (FCR), daily egg production, and Fe and Zn depositions in the egg yolk of laying hens. For this purpose, 80 commercial laying birds were allocated into four groups consisting of four replicates each (n = 5). The basal ration was provided to the control group (C) while three different levels (100, 200, and 300 mg/kg diet/element) of Fe and Zn (1:1) were provided to the FZ100, FZ200, and FZ300 groups, respectively. Overall FI, hen day egg production, and FCR were not affected (p > 0.05). The Fe and Zn content in egg yolk were significantly increased in the FZ300 group after 4 weeks of supplementation. The cost per egg produced in response to different levels of Fe and Zn supplementation was not affected however a numerical increase in cost/egg was found in the FZ300 group. In conclusion, Fe and Zn supplementation (300 mg/kg diet/element) significantly enhanced the egg Fe and Zn contents without adversely affecting production parameters including FI, egg production, and FCR of laying hens.

Details

Title
Comparison of different dietary levels of iron and zinc for the enrichment of eggs in laying hens
Author
Ullah, Zooheb 1 ; Khan, Sarzamin 1 ; Shuaib, Muhammad 2 ; Ullah, Obaid 3 ; Shahrood Ahmed Siddiqui 4 ; Pokoo-Aikins, Anthony 5 ; Jabir, Majid S 6 ; Swelum, Ayman A 7 

 Department of Poultry Science, Faculty of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences, The University of Agriculture Peshawar, Pakistan 
 Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding, Reproduction and Molecular Design for Jiangsu Province, College of Animal Sciences and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China 
 Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Poonch, Rawalakot, Pakistan 
 Livestock and Fisheries Department Government of Sindh, Vaccine Production Unit, Sindh Tandojam, Pakistan 
 US National Poultry Research Center, Toxicology and Mycotoxin Research Unit, USDA ARS, Athens, GA, USA 
 Department of Applied Sciences, University of Technology, Baghdad, Iraq 
 Department of Animal Production, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 
Pages
1-7
Publication year
2024
Publication date
Dec 2024
Publisher
Taylor & Francis Ltd.
ISSN
01652176
e-ISSN
18755941
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
3140688608
Copyright
© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons  Attribution – Non-Commercial License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.