NUTRIENT REQUIREMENTS OF LAYING HENS

Basic nutritional requirements of laying hens

Feed is necessary for four reasons.
1. Body maintenance
2. Body growth
3. Feather production
4. Egg Production

maintenance

e amount of feed necessary for body maintenance varies with the weight of the
d the type of the environment.

growth

eghorn pullet should gain from 350 to 454 gram during her laying years.
medium- size layer (producing brown shell eggs) should gain 454 to 570 gram
ring her laying year.
production

ncludes the growing of new feathers to replace those molted or pulled out.

duction

he feed requirement for the production of the eggs is determined by the number
nd size of the eggs

Daily energy requirement for body maintenance is determine

The body weight of the layer.

Ambient (environmental) temperature

tenance energy requirement of laying hen under moderate temperature (70F or

Body Weight of the
hen (kg)

Feed required for

maintenance per hen per
day (g)

Kcal of ME per hen per

day

1.4

58.57

164

1.8

72.5

203

2.3

85.71

240

2.7

98.57

276

3.2

110.36

309

Question: if the ME content of the ration is 2800 kcal /kg,

calculate the amount of feed required for maintenance per hen per day (g)
Diet provide 2800 kcal ME in 1kg (1000 g) of diet
To get 164 kcal 1.4 kg (body weight) hen will consume: [ 164x1000]/2800 g
of feed = 58.57 g

Effect of ambient temperature on the maintenance requirement for

energy
Maintenance requirement in kcal ME
per laying hen per day

Temperature
F

Leghorn

Medium-Size

50

10.0

230

243

60

15.6

204

217

70

21.1

184

197

80

26.7

172

185

90

32.2

162

175

100

37.8

154

167

: If the ambient temperature is low, energy requirement for body maintenance

be increased.

Energy requirement for egg production

Daily energy requirement of the laying hen is highly variable:

Varies with:
Variation in body weight of pullets
Environmental temperature
Amount of bird activity (housing system)
Variations in egg production
Differences in egg size
Prevalence of stress
Age of the birds
Amount of feather cover

General guide line:

The ME requirement of 1.8 kg layer kept at a moderate temperature
and laying at the rate of 75% hen-day production is about 300-310
kcal per day (306 kcal per day).
The figure will increase in cold weather and decrease in hot weather.

energy in the feed and daily feed requirement for 1.8 kg hen at moderate tempe
% hen-day egg production
Kcal of ME/kg ration

Feed required per day per 100 hens

to supply 306 kcal E per hen (kg)

2640

[306/2640]x100=11.6

2750

[306/2750]x100=11.1

2860

10.7

2970

10.3

3080

10.0

3190

9.6

te: Amount of energy in the diet control feed consumption.

If dietary energy is high amount of feed consumption will be low.

onmental temperature and feed consumption in laying hen

energy requirement is higher in cold weather than in hot weather.

ll eat more during cold weather than hot weather.

weather is cold, the per cent of amount of feed changes will be less than

he weather is hot.

ple : Between 40-50 F, for each degree temperature changes,

amount of feed changes will be 0.3%.
Between 90-100 F, for each degree temperature changes,
amount of feed changes will be 3.14%.

Relationship between ambient temperature, energy content of the

diet, and
feed consumed per 100 caged laying leghorns per day
Kcal of ME per kilo of ration

Average daytime
ambient temperature

2750

2860

2970

Feed/100 birds/day

(C)

kg

kg

kg

4.4

12.8

11.8

11.0

10.0

12.5

11.5

10.7

15.6

11.9

11.0

10.2

21.1

11.1

10.2

9.5

26.7

10.1

9.4

8.7

32.2

8.5

7.9

7.3

37.8

6.9

6.4

5.9

Poultry
With the exception of birds reared for breeding, growing poultry are
normally fed to
appetite.
Nutrient requirements expressed not as quantities required per day but as
the nutrient
concentrations in the diet .
Poultry take food according to their energy requirement.
The quantities of food eaten by poultry are inversely related to the
concentration of energy
in their diets.
If the energy concentration of a diet is increased without a corresponding
change in the
concentration of other nutrients, then the birds will begin to eat less of
those nutrients.

ple: Intake of crude protein

ent of the ration I is 2750 kcal/kg, Crude protein % = 16%

nsumption is 111 g/hen/day. Therefore protein intake will be = [111x16]/100 =17.76g/hen/

n II the crude protein % is the same (16%)

rgy (ME of the ration) is increased to 2860 kcal/kg
nsumption of the hen will be decreased.
the amount of energy in the diet control feed consumption.
ergy in the diet is high the bird will consume less. It is 107 g/hen/day

protein intake of the hen?

16]/100 = 17.12 g/hen/day

crease the energy content of the ration without changing the protein per cent,
will eat less amount of protein.

r take energy from the diet according to their requirement so that their energy intake may
proximately the same, their protein intake will fall and the birds may be deficient in protein.

eneral, a nutrient concentration that is adequate for a diet of low energy content may be
dequate for a diet of higher energy content.

ding standards should be expressed not only by nutrient concentrations, but also together w
cific energy concentration.
ample, for laying hen, layer ration must contains 2750 kcal ME/kg diet with 16% protein.
/CP = 2750/16 = 171.87

et 17.76 gram of protein, how many % of crude protein must contain in ration II ?
lculate ME/CP ratio for ration II.
mount of feed consumed per hen per day is 107 gram.

07 gram of diet, protein content must be 17.76 gram.

n 100 gram of ration protein must contain [100x17.76]/107= 16.6%

ration II, ME/CP = 2860/16.6 = 172.289

commanded ME/CP for laying hen is 170-175. If energy in the ration is increased,
ude protein % must be increased to maintain recommended ME/CP.

Mineral requirements during egg production

Leghorn

Medium-size

21-40 week of
age

40 and over
week of age

21-40 week of
age

40 and over
week of age

3.25

3.50

3.00

3.25

0.5

0.5

0.5

0.5

Sodium %

0.15

0.15

0.15

0.15

Manganese
(mg/kg)

110

110

110

110

50

50

50

50

Calcium%
Phosphorus
(total)%

Zinc (mg/kg)

cium requirement

much calcium during egg production is detrimental because it depress appetite.

uses are excreted in the faecal material. Uneconomical.

um requirement depend on

.
.
.
.

Rate of lay (The higher the rate, the more calcium needed).
Size of bird (The larger birds consume more feed, get more calcium).
Age of birds (Those past 40 weeks of lay require more calcium % in the diet)
ME content of the ration (The higher the ME, the less food consumed;
require more calcium% in the ration)
. House temperature ( Bird eat less when temperatures are high;
the ration should contain more calcium %)

ntage of calcium needed in the laying ration with varying feed consumpt
and egg production
Age in weeks
21-40
Feed
consumed
Gram per
hen

After 40
% Hen-Day Egg Production

90

80

70

60

80

70

60

50

% calcium in ration

80

4.7

4.2

3.7

3.2

5.2

4.7

4.1

3.4

90

4.2

3.8

3.3

2.9

4.7

4.2

3.6

3.1

100

3.8

3.4

3.4

2.6

4.5

3.8

3.3

2.8

110

3.5

3.1

3.1

2.3

3.8

3.5

3.0

2.6

120

3.2

2.9

2.9

2.1

3.5

3.2

2.8

2.4

130

3.0

2.7

2.7

1.9

3.3

3.0

2.6

2.2

ineral requirements of layer

nite

pt for manganese and zinc, natural feedstuffs seemed to supply the necessary qu

layer rations include supplementary manganese and zinc. Some include selenium

Vitamin requirements for egg

production
Vitamins most added to laying rations
A
riboflavin
B12

pantothenic acid

D3

choline

niacin

Regarding vitamin D, it should be remembered that D3 (cholecalciferol) is a

ten times as potent for poultry as D2 (ergocalciferol).

Amount per unit of feed

Vitamin

Per kg

Vitamin A activity

4000

Vitamin D (ICU)

500

Vitamin E (IU)

5.0

Vitamin K (mg)

0.5

Thiamin (mg)

0.8

Riboflavin (mg)

2.2

Pantothenic acid
(mg)

2.2

Niacin (mg)

10.0

Pyridoxine (mg)

3.0

Biotin (mg)

0.1

Choline (mg)

(mg)E is equivalent to
0.004
ne InternationalVitamin
unit of B12
vitamin
1 mg dl- -tocopherol acetate
ne IU of Vitamin A= biological equivalent of 0.3mcg retinol or 0.6 mcg beta caro
ne IU of Vitamin D = biological equivalent of 0.025 mcg cholecalciferol or ergoca
Source, Nutrient Requirement of poultry, 1984,

MAJOR MILK CONTITUENTS

AND

ORS AFFCTING THE MILK COMPOSITION OF A C

e composition of milk of farm animals (g

Fat

protein

lactose

calcium

phosphor
us

magnesi
um

Cow

37

34

48

1.2

0.9

0.12

Goat

45

33

41

1.3

1.1

0.20

Ewe

74

55

48

1.6

1.3

0.17

Sow

85

58

48

2.5

1.7

0.20

Mare

15

23

64

1.1

0.6

0.06

Gross composition of Milk

Constituent

Average content%

Normal variation

87.2

82.4-90.7

FAT

3.7

2.5-6.0

NON-FAT SOLIDS

9.1

6.8-11.6

1. Protein

3.5

2.7-4.8

2.8

2.3-4.0

0.7

0.4-0.8

2. Lactose

4.9

3.5-6.0

3. Minerals

0.7

0.6-0.8

12.8

9.3-17.6

WATER

- Casein
Lactalbumin
Lactoglobulins

TOTAL SOLIDS

Carbohydrates in milk

- milk sugar, the most abundant form of carbohydrate in milk

- disaccharide (sugar formed from one molecule of glucose and one molecule of galactose
- 4.5 to 5% in milk, depend on breed of animals.

ants Most carbohydrates in the feed are broken down into VFA (volatile fatty acids)
acetic acid, propionic acid and butyric acid.

Mammary glandmilk fat

Lactose synthetase
lactose
Glucose

c acid

acid

converted to

production of
lactose

Fat
Casein
production

Lipid in milk

nly 25% of the fatty acids found in milk fat are from dietary fat.

e remaining portion is synthesized through numerous metabolic schemes.

most all of milk fat is triglycerides.

glyceride is formed by combination of 3 fatty acid molecules with one molecule

Protein in milk
Alpha-casein, beta-casean, alpha lactalbumin, beta-lactoglobulin are
predominant milk protein.
Formed from the free amino acid precursors in the blood.
Found only in the milk.
More than 90% of milk protein
The remaining protein portion contains immune globulins, serum
albumin, gamma casein,
which are not synthesized in mammary cells .
They are absorbed from the blood intact and passed to the milk.

Vitamins and minerals in milk

Vitamins and minerals are passed from the blood through the epithelial
cells and into the milk through filtration.
Vitamin passed unchanged from the blood to the milk.
Most of the minerals passed from the blood are complexed with other
compound.
The primary minerals of milk are calcium, phosphorus, sodium, chlorine
and magnesium.

Factors affecting milk composition

1. Breed and individual inheritance
2. Stage of lactation
3. Persistency
4. Oestrus; pregnancy
5. First- and last- drawn milk
6. Age
7. Size
8. Frequency of milking
9. Irregular milking interval
10.Environmental temperature, season

Breed and individual inheritance

milk, fat, solids-not fat are inheritance characteristics. Breed and individual differe

in breed: butter fat 2.6-6%

breed: 3.3-8.4%

2. Stage of lactation

greatest variation in the composition of milk take place immediately following parturition

trum, synthesized in the udder prior to the time of calving contains more globulins,
A ad D, iron calcium, magnesium, chlorine and phosphorus, but less lactose and potassium

milk production generally increases for the first month following calving. Decrease gradual
eafter.

ontent higher at the end of lactation period.

3. Persistency

About one month after peak lactation period

The total milk production in each month is approximately 90-95 % of the

previous month.

Oestrous; pregnancy
fat production downward on the day of or the day following a heat period.

gnancy little effect on milk production.

ut fifth month of pregnancy, total production of gestation cow decline more rapidly than
at of non pregnant cow

ause, energy requirement of the late gestation fetus is equivalent to about 400-600 lbs of m

First and last drawn milk

of fat is higher in last drawn milk compared to first drawn milk.

6. Age

cow reach maturity and maximum milk production at about 6 years of age.
decline in milk production. 25% more milk at maturity compared to that at 2 yea

oduction gradually decrease with age.

7. Size

Within a breed, large cow usuallly produce more milk than do small cows.

8. Frequency of milking
Milk production increase with frequency of milking.
More persistent in their production
Milk production decline less rapidly

9. Irregular milking interval

nequal intervals between milking affect both the quantity and composition of mi

re milk with slightly lower fat content is obtained following the longer intervals.

0. Environmental temperature, season

Fat % of milk higher in the fall and winter and lower in the spring and summer.

ariation 0.3 to 0.5 per cent.

olids-not fat lower in spring and summer.

ows calving in the fall month, consistently produce more than those calving at
other times of the year.
Cows calving in the spring produce the least.

he difference is as much as 10 to 15 per cent.

GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL