Organic Trace Elements Improve the Eggshell Quality via Eggshell Formation Regulation during the Late Phase of the Laying Cycle
Songfeng Yang,
Haibin Deng,
Jiahao Zhu,
Yiru Shi,
Junyi Luo,
Ting Chen,
Jiajie Sun,
Yongliang Zhang,
Qianyun Xi
Affiliations
Songfeng Yang
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition Control, National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, No. 483 Wushan Road, Guangzhou 510642, China
Haibin Deng
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition Control, National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, No. 483 Wushan Road, Guangzhou 510642, China
Jiahao Zhu
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition Control, National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, No. 483 Wushan Road, Guangzhou 510642, China
Yiru Shi
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition Control, National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, No. 483 Wushan Road, Guangzhou 510642, China
Junyi Luo
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition Control, National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, No. 483 Wushan Road, Guangzhou 510642, China
Ting Chen
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition Control, National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, No. 483 Wushan Road, Guangzhou 510642, China
Jiajie Sun
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition Control, National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, No. 483 Wushan Road, Guangzhou 510642, China
Yongliang Zhang
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition Control, National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, No. 483 Wushan Road, Guangzhou 510642, China
Qianyun Xi
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition Control, National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, No. 483 Wushan Road, Guangzhou 510642, China
The quality of eggshells is critical to the egg production industry. The addition of trace elements has been shown to be involved in eggshell formation. Organic trace elements have been found to have higher biological availability than inorganic trace elements. However, the effects of organic trace elements additive doses on eggshell quality during the laying period of commercial laying hens required further investigation. This experiment aims to explore the potential mechanisms of different doses of organic trace elements replacing inorganic elements to remodel the eggshell quality of egg-laying hens during the laying period. A total of 360 healthy hens (Lohmann Pink, 45-week-old) were randomly divided into four treatments, with six replications per treatment and 15 birds per replication. The dietary treatments included a basal diet supplemented with inorganic iron, copper, zinc and manganese at commercial levels (CON), a basal diet supplemented with organic iron, copper, zinc and manganese at 20% commercial levels (LOT), a basal diet supplemented with organic iron, copper, zinc and manganese at 30% commercial levels (MOT), and a basal diet supplemented with organic iron, copper, zinc and manganese at 40% commercial levels (HOT). The trial lasted for 8 weeks. The results of the experiment showed that the replacement of organic trace elements did not significantly affect the production performance of laying hens (p > 0.05). Compared with inorganic trace elements, the MOT and HOT groups improved the structure of the eggshells, enhanced the hardness and thickness of the eggshells, increased the Haugh unit of the eggs, reduced the proportion of the mammillary layer in the eggshell, and increased the proportion of the palisade layer (p p p < 0.05). In conclusion, dietary supplementation with 30–40% organic micronutrients were able to improve eggshell quality in aged laying hens by modulating the activity of serum carbonate transport-related enzymes and the expression of eggshell deposition-related genes.
