Molting is a common practice used by the commercial egg industry to rejuvenate flocks for a second or third laying cycle. During this time the hens rest from production, and the reproductive organs are rejuvenated to increase production and quality during the next laying cycle. Although feed withdrawal (FW) is the most popular and effective method of molt induction, it has come under scrutiny d...

introduction: induced molting is a process that stimulates natural molting events. when birds return to full feed, a new plumage develops and the birds resume egg peroduction at a higher rate with better egg quality. induced molting extends the productive liffe of commercial chicken flocks and results in substantial reduction in the number of chickens needed to produce the nation's egg supply. ...

The objectives of this study were to enumerate Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis colonization in fecal, cecal, and internal organs, and to compare the level of virulence gene expression (hilA) of experimentally challenged laying hens fed different dietary molt-induction regimens. Twelve Salmonella-free Single Comb Leghorn hens (>50 wk old) hens were randomly assigned to each of 6 treatmen...

Induced molting by feed withdrawal has been a common practice in the commercial layer industry and usually involves the removal of feed for a period of up to 14 d. However, this is a practice that is believed to adversely influence the welfare of the hens and there is a need to examine behavioral responses to alternative molt regimens. The behavioral patterns of hens on 90% alfalfa:10% layer ra...

The objective of this study was to examine an alfalfa crumble diet as an alternative molt diet and compare the physiological response of hens to the responses of feed-deprived molted hens. Hens >50 wk old were placed into 6 treatment groups (12 hens per group in trial 1 and 10 hens per group in trial 2): nonmolted Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis positive (FF+), nonmolted Salmonella Ente...

Objective About 1 % of infants are of very low birth weight. However, they comprise about 50% of infant mortality. We compare the effects of continuous versus intermittent feeding on physical growth, gastrointestinal tolerance and macronutrient retention in low birth weight infants (Methods A prospective randomized trial clinical trial was performed from 2004-2005. Very low birth weight neonate...

In an effort to reduce carcass contamination and consequent reprocessing, market-age broilers are often subjected to feed withdrawal (FW) before processing to reduce intestinal content and intestinal ruptures during processing. However, little is known regarding the effects of FW on mucus content and intestinal morphology. Therefore, 2 experiments were conducted to determine the effects of FW o...