Objective: TLRI 211-1 is a novel Bacillus subtilis strain. This experiment was to investigate dietary supplementation of TLRI 211-1 on laying performance, egg quality and blood characteristics of layers.
Methods: One hundred and twenty 65-wk-old Leghorn layers were divided into four treatment groups for 8 weeks experiment. Each treatment had three replicates. The basal diet was formulated as control group with crude protein 17% and metabolizable energy 2,850 kcal/kg and supplemented with TLRI 211-1 0.1%, 0.3%, and commercial Bacillus amyloliquefaciens 0.1% as treatment 2, 3 and 4 groups, respectively. Both TLRI 211-1 and commercial Bacillus amyloliquefaciens were adjusted to contain 1×109 colony-forming unit (CFU)/mL (g), hence the 0.1% supplemental level was 1×109 CFU/kg.
Results: The results showed that TLRI 211-1 0.3% and commercial B. amyloliquefaciens groups had higher weight gain than the other groups; TLRI 211-1 0.1% group had better feed to eggs conversion ratio than the control and commercial B. amyloliquefaciens groups (p<0.05). Bacillus subtilis supplementation increased yolk weight (p<0.05). In egg quality during storage, TLRI 211-1 0.1% had higher breaking strength than the control group at the second week of storage (p<0.05). At the third week of storage, TLRI 211-1 0.3% had higher Haugh unit (p<0.05). Hens fed diets supplemented with TLRI 211-1 0.3% significantly decreased blood triglyceride levels and increased blood calcium levels (p< 0.05). TLRI 211-1 0.3% group had lower H2S (p<0.05) and hence had less unpleasant odor in excreta of hens.
Conclusion: In conclusion, supplementation with 0.1% TLRI 211-1 can significantly improve feed to eggs conversion ratio. TLRI 211-1 supplementation also can maintain eggs at their optimum quality level during storage. The study showed that B. subtilis TLRI 211-1 can be used as feed additives for improving egg production performance and egg quality.
Keywords: Bacillus subtilis; Egg Production Performance; Egg Quality; Leghorn Layer.