Tüm ve Öğütülmüş Farklı Dane Yem İle Serbest Seçmeli Yemlenen Yumurta Tavuklarının Yumurta Verim ve Kalite Özellikleri

Abstract

An experiment was carried out to study the effect of free choice feeding with different forms of triticale, wheat or maize (whole, ground with or without enzyme) on egg production and quality of laying hens. The experiment was carried out for 16 weeks, 240 Isa-Brown hens, 24 week-old raised in the Farm of Agricultural Faculty at Ondokuz Mayis University were used. The laying hens were placed in individual laying cages from 24 - 40 weeks of age. The choice fed groups received feedstuffs from two separate troughs (i.e. whole maize and layer diet in mash form) and control group received a layer diet in mash form in one trough. There were significant differences between free choice feeding with whole grain and control treatment (P<0.05). Feeding whole grain compared to the control treatment was reduced egg production (P<0.05), not differed feed intake (P>0.05) but reduced commercial layer diet consumption (P<0.05). Hens offered the choice fed diets with whole grain was reduced feed efficiency ratio (P<0.05) whereas feeding ground with or without enzyme had no effect on feed efficiency ratio of laying hens compared to the control treatment (P>0.05). Whole grain feeding was reduced live weight gain, carcass weight and carcass yield (P<0.05) but had no effect on mortality, egg weight, shape index, breakage strength, abdominal fat pad, gizzard size and small intestine compared to birds fed a layer diet in mash form (P>0.05). Hens offered the choice fed diets laid significantly heavier egg yolks than those fed the control diet and choice feeding with maize groups laid eggs with darker yolks than the other treatments (P<0.05). Moreover, the whole triticale and maize-fed hens laid more expensive eggs than fed the control diet (P<0.05). The results obtained from the present study suggest that free choice feeding laying hens fed different whole and ground grain with or without enzyme have had different egg production and quality from control hens fed mash diets.