Laying Performance, Physical, and Internal Egg Quality Criteria of Hens Fed Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles and Exogenous Enzyme Mixture

Mohamed E Abd El-Hack; Khalid M Mahrose; Faten A M Attia; Ayman A Swelum; Ayman E Taha; Ramadan S Shewita; El-Sayed O S Hussein; Abdullah N Alowaimer

doi:10.3390/ani9040150

Laying Performance, Physical, and Internal Egg Quality Criteria of Hens Fed Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles and Exogenous Enzyme Mixture

Animals (Basel). 2019 Apr 6;9(4):150. doi: 10.3390/ani9040150.

Authors

Mohamed E Abd El-Hack¹, Khalid M Mahrose², Faten A M Attia³, Ayman A Swelum^{4

5}, Ayman E Taha⁶, Ramadan S Shewita⁷, El-Sayed O S Hussein⁸, Abdullah N Alowaimer⁹

Affiliations

¹ Poultry Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44511, Egypt. dr.mohamed.e.abdalhaq@gmail.com.
² Poultry Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44511, Egypt. khn_mahrose@yahoo.com.
³ Animal Production Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Suez Canal University, Ismailia 41522, Egypt. dr.faten.attia@gmail.com.
⁴ Department of Animal Production, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia. aswelum@ksu.edu.sa.
⁵ Department of Theriogenology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44511, Egypt. aswelum@ksu.edu.sa.
⁶ Department of Animal Husbandry and Animal Wealth Development, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Alexandria University, Rasheed, Edfina 22758, Egypt. Ayman.Taha@alexu.edu.eg.
⁷ Department of Nutrition and Clinical Nutrition, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Alexandria University, Rasheed, Edfina 22758, Egypt. Ramadan_nutrition@yahoo.com.
⁸ Department of Animal Production, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia. shessin@ksu.edu.sa.
⁹ Department of Animal Production, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia. aowaimer@ksu.edu.sa.

Abstract

: The effects of dietary inclusion of distillers dried grains with solubles in laying hen diets with and without exogenous enzyme mixture (EEM) on performance and egg characteristics were evaluated. One of the main objectives of this study was to examine the effects of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and enzyme cocktail on egg yolk fatty acids. The study used total of 144 Hisex Brown laying hens in a 4 × 2 factorial arrangement, including four levels of DDGS (0, 6, 12, and 18% of diet) and two levels of enzyme cocktail (0 or 250 mg EEM/kg of diet) through 32⁻42 weeks of the age. The inclusion of 18% DDGS was associated with the worst (p ≤ 0.001) egg production and the lowest daily feed intake. Numerically, hens fed 6% DDGS diet consumed more feed and had the greatest egg production. The best feed conversion ratio (FCR) was recorded in the control, while the worst was recorded in the 18% DDGS group. Compared with EEM-free diets, EEM supplementation improved FCR by about 2.79%, but the difference was not significant. Shell thickness and shell percentage were significantly increased in hens fed 6% DDGS diet compared to other groups. Egg weights in the 6% and 12% DDGS groups were significantly higher than those in the control and 18% DDGS groups. Non-significant increases in shell and albumin percentages were recorded in groups fed EEM-supplemented diets. The interaction effect of DDGS and EEM was significant (p ≤ 0.01) for the majority of egg characteristics. As dietary DDGS level increased, yolk color density increased. Elevating DDGS level up to 18% increased yolk cholesterol, total fat, and total unsaturated fatty acids. The effects of EEM supplementation on egg yolk fatty acid composition and the interaction effects between DDGS and EEM were not significant. Considering these results, it could be concluded that DDGS is an acceptable feed ingredient in layer diets and that the maximum inclusion level of DDGS should not exceed 12% of the whole diet.

Keywords: DDGS; egg characteristics; exogenous enzymes; productive performance; yolk fatty acid.