Introduction To prepare laying hens for life in cage-free aviaries, they must be reared aviaries that accustom them to the challenges of navigating a complex three-dimensional structure. Rearing vary design and contain brooding compartment which chicks are confined during first six weeks age. These compartments greatly their size complexity. The present study aimed examine impact environmental ...

At 56 weeks of age, 30 Hyline (W-377) laying pullets were randomly distributed in individual (1 pullet per cage) 45 x 45 x 35 cm cages. Cracked egg was used as protein supplement to the diet. Three groups of 10 Hyline laying pullets each were formed. Three isocaloric and isonitrogenous diets were prepared from different protein sources as followed: ration 1 (control) − soybean meal; ration 2 (e...

BACKGROUND Various information about the genetic diversity of Escherichia coli isolates from chickens are available but a detailed epidemiological investigation based upon isolates obtained from interrelated pullet and layer flocks is still missing. Therefore, in the course of a longitudinal epidemiological study on pullets and layers, 144 E. coli isolates from chickens with or without patholog...

1. Pullets were given from 1-d-old diets containing 1-6, 4-1, 8-1 and 12-0 g Mg/kg. Only small effects of these diets on live weight, food consumption, egg number, egg weights or egg-shell thickness were observed except at the highest level (12-0 Mg/kg) which caused diarrhoea and an appreciable lowering of the live weight of growing pullets. A further group was given from point-of-lay a diet co...

The effect of dietary vitamin E supplementation on immune responses was studied in breeder chickens during the maturing period. In experiment 1, 17-week old female birds were fed corn-soybean meal based diets supplemented with either 0, 40, 80, 120, or 160 mg vitamin E (all-rac-α-tocopherol acetate)/kg diet for 19 weeks. In experiment 2, 23-week old male birds were fed the corn-soybean meal bas...

The addition of two 3-h periods of very dim light, one before and one after a normal 8-h photoperiod, advances sexual maturity in pullets by about a week. This trial tested the hypothesis that dim light given before a short day of normal intensity is linked to form a more stimulatory day length and that dim light given after it is photosexually ignored. Pullets were reared from 2 d of age on 8-...

The rearing system of replacement pullets in Mexico is traditionally done on the floor due to its higher performance and resemblance to natural conditions to minimize stress compared to cage rearing.1 However, the type of housing as other management factors (vaccination, weighing, and beak trimming) that is done in the field during the growth phase are important factors to consider in the amoun...

Broiler breeder hens are typically provided a restricted amount of feed once a day. This feed is rapidly consumed; therefore, the hens fast for an extended period of time before their next feeding. In the current research, the effects on reproductive performance of implementing a twice-a-day vs. a once-a-day feeding program after photostimulation were investigated. Pullets and cockerels were re...