Supplemental wheat bran and microbial phytase could replace inorganic phosphorus in laying hen diets

An experiment was conducted to determine effects of wheat bran (WB) phytase on production performance and nutrient utilization in laying hens. Three hundred and seventy-five Lohmann hens at 32 weeks of age were randomly allotted to treatments of fifteen hens per pen with five pens per treatment. Five experimental diets were formulated. Diet one (control) contained 0.19% inorganic phosphate (Pi) from dicalcium phosphate. On the basis of diet 1, diet 2 and 3 were formulated to contain WB 5% and 10%, respectively. In diet 4 and 5, the WB was fixed at the level of 10% with Pi level adjusted to 0.14% in diet 4 and completely replaced with 500 U/kg microbial phytase in diet 5. The results showed that treatment three improved egg yield (P = 0.142), feed conversion ratio (FCR) (P = 0.011), utilization of crude protein (CP) (P = 0.060) and total phosphorus (tP) (P < 0.001), and serum Pi concentration (P = 0.016) compared with the control. Ten percent of WB replacing 0.05% Pi did not influence either egg yield or nutrient utilization. Compared with the control, treatment five improved FCR (P = 0.011) and utilization of CP (P = 0.060) and tP (P < 0.001), but did not influence either performance or serum parameters. The current study suggests that wheat bran could be used successfully in laying hen diets and wheat bran and microbial phytase supplemented together could replace inorganic phosphate completely.