A feeding strategy that matches laying hens’ nutrient intake to time of day could result in improvements to eggshell quality, increase the number of eggs produced and have a positive impact on the sustainability of the poultry industry.
“The current feeding methods for laying hens are based on one diet per day. That means that you have constant nutrient levels, resulting in, for instance, an oversupply of calcium in the morning, while undersupplying it in the afternoon,” Roland Koedijk, Global Head of Poultry Nutrition at Trouw Nutrition, said.
“That does not result in the optimal supply of nutrients for laying hens.
Can optimize nutrient intake and metabolism
A split-feeding diet can help optimize how laying hens metabolize nutrients like protein, calcium and phosphorous by ensuring that they consume these nutrients at a time of day when the requirements are the highest.
The morning meal contains higher levels of energy, protein and phosphorus, while the evening meal focuses on meeting the hen’s calcium requirements. Together, this can improve the eggshell quality and feed conversion ratio of the laying hens and increase the number of eggs produced.
“The improvement in nutrient intake allows for a more efficient turnover of nutrients in the daily rhythm of the hens,” Koedijk added.
Sustainability and ROI benefits
A split-feeding diet can help improve the sustainability of laying hen production. As the laying hens consume less and use needed nutrients more efficiently, producers can reduce calcium and phosphorus levels in the feed without sacrificing eggshell quality. In field trials, the diet has reduced nitrogen, calcium and phosphorus excretion by 3.8%, 4.1% and 2.1%.
Producers can also see an improved return on investment (ROI) with split-feeding.
“Because you provide the specific nutrients at the moment that the actual egg was formed, better quality can be accomplished. So, the farmer can get an extra income for more first grade eggs. This feeding system is capable of reducing the number of second grade eggs by up to 30%,” Hubert Smeets, Global Product Manager at Trouw Nutrition, said
“By reducing the total amount of nutrients in the feed, depending on the availability and prices of raw materials the total feed costs can be reduced as well, resulting in more profit of the farm.”