Calcium formate (CaFo; Rovelan–Lanxess Corporation, Germany) is a commonly used source of calcium in poultry and swine feed in the EU. Due to increased cost, US interest in alternate feedstuffs has grown. The objective of this study was to evaluate CaFo in broiler diets as an alternate calcium source during a 49d pen trial. A total of 2,160 male Cobb 500 broilers were randomized and placed in 4...

An experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary Ca level on the efficacy of phytase. A total of 288 male Ross × Ross 708 broilers with initial and final BW of 37 and 705 g, respectively, were used in brooder batteries from 0 to 21 d posthatch. Each treatment had 8 replications with 6 broilers/replicate pen. All diets were corn-soybean meal based and formulated to contain 1.26% ...

Limited opportunity for movement and load-bearing exercise for conventionally caged laying hens leads to bone loss and increased susceptibility to osteoporosis, bone fractures, and cage layer fatigue, all of which compromise hen welfare and have negative consequences for production. The objective of this study was to compare bone mineral density (BMD) and strength measures of White Leghorns hou...

Two experiments were conducted to assess the bioavailability of P in five sources of defluorinated phosphate (DFP) that differed in P solubility in neutral ammonium citrate (NAC). In Exp. 1, 384 2-d-old male chicks were fed a corn-cornstarch-dextrose-soybean meal basal diet (1.22% lysine, 1.00% Ca, .45% P) or the basal with .05 or .10% P from monosodium phosphate (MSP), or .10% P from DFP with ...

We report the genetic relationship between growth and bone quality traits in a random mating broiler control population. Traits studied were growth rates from week 0 to 4 [body weight gain (BWG) 0 to 4], from week 0 to 6 (BWG 0 to 6), and residual feed intake (RFI) from week 5 to 6 (RFI 5 to 6). Bone quality traits were obtained at 6 weeks of age. These traits were shank weight (SW), shank leng...

The effects of housing systems on the calcium requirement for eggshell production, eggshell quality and on the breaking strength of the hen’s tibia were evaluated. Unenriched cages (UN) (24 laying hens), enriched cages (EN) (16 laying hens) and floor system (FS) (24 laying hens) were used in this experiment. The eggshell production of laying hens from 19 to 66 weeks of age was higher (P < 0.01)...

136 Chelated zinc, copper, and manganese compared to sulfates improve eggshell breaking strength and tibia trace mineral con­ centration in laying hens. S. P. Bai1, G. Jin1, D. L. Li1, Y. H. Luo1, K. Y. Zhang*1, F. J. Ji2, H. Cao2, and M. K. Manangi2, 1Institute of Animal Nutrition, Key Laboratory for Animal Disease-Resistance Nutrition of China Ministry of Education, Sichuan Agricultural Unive...

An experiment with 192 caged ISA Brown laying hens, fed a diet containing a high level of corn distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), was conducted to determine the influence of selected feed additives on biomechanical and geometrical indices of tibia and femur bones. At 26 weeks of age hens were randomly assigned to 8 treatments with 12 replicates (cages of two hens). To week 55, hens w...

Skeletal integrity in meat-type chickens is affected by many factors including rapid growth rate, nutrition and genetics. To investigate the genetic basis of bone and mineral metabolism, a QTL detection study was conducted in an intercross between two lines of meat-type chickens divergently selected for their high (D +) or low (D -) digestive efficiency. Tibia size (length, diameter, volume) an...

The objective of the study was to determine the effect of Quantum Blue phytase on P utilisation and bone parameter in laying hens fed barley, oat and soybean meal based diets. Over a period of 40 days 64 laying hens (from 29 weeks of age) were distributed to 4 treatments (8 cages, two birds each). Experimental diets with no inorganic P added were supplemented with 0, 150, 300 or 1200 FTU phytas...