QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Roland, D. A. Articles by Edwards, H. M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Roland, D. A., Sr. Articles by Edwards, H. M., Jr.

Performance of Laying Hens Fed Carbohydrate-free Diets^1,2,

Department of Poultry Science, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30601

Laying hens were fed a carbohydrate-free diet of which the nonprotein energy source was either corn oil, lard, linseed oil or menhaden oil. The hens that received corn oil, linseed oil or lard as an energy source continued to produce eggs for the 80-day experimental period; however, their rate of egg production was somewhat lower than that of hens that were fed a stock diet or a purified diet with glucose and 5% corn oil as a source of nonprotein energy. Egg production from hens fed the menhaden oil diet dropped rapidly and had ceased by 80 days; however, these hens continued to eat and were the same weight as the other hens at the termination of the experiment. Hens fed the diets based on lard or menhaden oil laid smaller eggs. Eggs from hens fed menhaden oil or linseed oil as the sole nonprotein energy source did not hatch as well as those from hens fed the other diets. The progeny from all treatments performed equally well when fed a stock diet. The fatty acid composition of egg and tissue lipids reflected the composition of the dietary lipids.

KEY WORDS: • laying hens • egg production • carbohydrate-free diets

¹ University of Georgia, College of Agriculture Experiment Station, Journal Series Paper no. 846, College Station, Athens, Georgia.

² Supported in part by U. S. Public Health Service Research Grant no. 6338 and Research Career Award no. 18,411 from the National Institute of Arthritis and Metabolic Diseases.

Manuscript received 8 June 1971.