Carbohydrates may improve egg production, sustainability

Improvements in daily egg production, feed efficiency rates, egg mass, shell thickness, mortality rates and gut health can be achieved by supplementing layer hen diets with mannan oligosaccharides (MOS).

Meredith Johnson Headshot
Layer farm in London, Ontario.
Layer farm in London, Ontario.
Alltech Staff

Improvements in daily egg production, feed efficiency rates, egg mass, shell thickness, mortality rates and gut health can be achieved by supplementing layer hen diets with mannan oligosaccharides (MOS), according to a meta-analysis performed by Alltech scientists. 

MOS binds gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, which can help balance the gut microbiota.

In the analysis, daily egg production increased by 1.76%, feed efficiency rates decreased by 26.64 grams per kilogram of eggs produced, egg mass increased by 0.95 grams per day and shell thickness increased by 0.05 milometers

Additionally, the research showed that using MOS decreased feed and total emission measurements during egg production by 1.3 and 1.5%, respectively, reducing the carbon footprint. According to Alltech, the environmental effects found are comparable to an 890 ton decrease in CO2-equivalent usage over a 62-week period with one million layers. 

The study was published in the Poultry Science Journal and determines the effects of feeding Bio-Mos, a supplement containing the yeast-derived carbohydrate MOS. 

About the analysis

MOS has been shown to increase growth rates and production performance in poultry by creating a desirable environment for beneficial gut bacteria, improving nutrient digestion and absorption and helping boost immunity when used as an antibiotic alternative. 

The meta-analysis covered 18 different studies and involves a total of 4,664 caged layers. Control hens were fed no supplement while supplemented hens were, on average, fed 0.97 kilograms per ton of feed. The average hen age was 44 weeks.

“A strong focus on optimizing the gut health of birds is crucial to enable egg producers to navigate the increasing production challenges threatening their birds' productivity and bottom line,” said Dr. Saheed Salami, Alltech research fellow.

“This novel meta-analysis demonstrates that sustainability can improve productivity in a profitable manner — helping to ensure a better outlook for future generations,” stated Dr. Jules Taylor-Pickard, Alltech global director of gut health management.

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