Effect of Maize Hybrid in Complete Feed on the Production Performance and Economic Considerations in Laying Hens

Veronika Gunjević, Darko Grbeša, Dora Zurak, Goran Kiš, Zlatko Janječić, Zlatko Svečnjak, Dalibor Bedeković, Marija Duvnjak, Vasil Pirgozliev and Kristina Kljak ()
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Veronika Gunjević: University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, Svetošimunska 25, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Darko Grbeša: University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, Svetošimunska 25, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Dora Zurak: University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, Svetošimunska 25, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Goran Kiš: University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, Svetošimunska 25, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Zlatko Janječić: University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, Svetošimunska 25, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Zlatko Svečnjak: University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, Svetošimunska 25, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Dalibor Bedeković: University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, Svetošimunska 25, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Marija Duvnjak: University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, Svetošimunska 25, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Vasil Pirgozliev: National Institute of Poultry Husbandry, Harper Adams University, Shropshire TF108NB, UK
Kristina Kljak: University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, Svetošimunska 25, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 22, 1-15

Abstract: The nutritional value of maize grain can be influenced by its genetic background, which can lead to differences that could affect laying hens due to the high proportion of maize hybrids in the complete feed. This study aimed to investigate the effects of modern maize hybrids on hen production and egg quality. Dietary treatments differed only in a grain of 15 high-yielding maize hybrids, added at a fixed proportion of 600 g kg −1 and without additional pigments. By 3 in each cage, 225 Lohmann Brown hens were allocated to 15 dietary treatments in a completely randomized block design (15 treatments × 5 cages). The experiment lasted 10 weeks, during which the number and weight of eggs were recorded daily, and diet intake was recorded weekly. Eggs for quality analysis were collected once per week during the last five weeks of the experiment. Dietary treatments differed ( p < 0.05) in complete feed intake (119.7–123.1 g), egg weight (58.02–61.51 g), daily egg mass (56.17–60.16 g), and feed conversion ratio (2.01–2.19). As expected, dietary treatments did not affect egg traits such as shape index, albumen height, Haugh units, shell strength, thickness, and weight, but differed ( p < 0.05) in yolk color (6.28–8.76) and yolk (14.74–16.03 g) and albumen (34.39–39.29 g) weights. The findings suggest that using different maize hybrids in complete feeds used in egg production systems may lead to small but significant differences in some hen production and egg quality traits, which in turn affect farmers’ income.

Keywords: laying hen; maize hybrid; production performance; feed conversion ratio; economic calculations (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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