LiquiShine reduces percentage of cracked eggs and dirty eggs in an older layer herd
Field trial conducted in a conventional layer farm in Turkey, 2018
Field Observation 20.18
Introduction
In layer and parent flocks, the eggshell quality is a
closely monitored quality criterium. Cracked and
broken eggs and microcracks negatively impact the
amount of sellable eggs and cause a reduced hatch-
ability.
Measurable parameters for eggshell quality are, be-
sides the daily percentage of cracked, broken and
dirty eggs, the eggshell thickness and breaking point
index. Within the laying period, an increase in egg
size and weight is observed, whereas the eggshell
weight does not increase in the same proportion.
Subsequently the eggshell thickness is reduced,
leading to a greater risk of microcracks and break-
age.
Eggshell parameters are influenced not only by the
genetic of the hen, but also through nutrition, min-
eral supply, health status and management factors.
In this trial, the effect of LiquiShine, a feed additive
with high amounts of organically bound trace ele-
ments like zinc, copper, manganese as well as biotin
and amino acids, was tested for its effects on egg-
shell quality.
Material and method
LiquiShine was tested in a layer herd with 19,500 Isa
Brown layers. The observation period was between
53 and 64 weeks of age, from April until June. Li-
quiShine was administered via drinking water at the recommended dosage of 1 liter per 1,000 liters drinking water for five consecutive days during weeks 54, 57, and 61.
The total number of eggs, total number of cracked
eggs and total number of dirty eggs was recorded
daily.
Results
The percentages of cracked eggs and dirty eggs
were averaged for each week. For both cracked and
dirty eggs, a reduction in percentage could be ob-
served over the trial period of twelve weeks (Figure
1). In the first week of the trial, the amount of cracked eggs averaged at 3.31 %. At the end of the trial, this value was reduced to 2.47 %.
Discussion
The percentage of cracked eggs is expected to vary
with advancing age of the animals and strongly de-
pends on multiple factors, including housing equip-
ment, egg collection, and general herd manage-
ment. A new herd is expected to start into the laying
period with a relatively high percentage of cracked
eggs which decreases as the hens adapt to their en-
vironment and the usage of nests within the first
weeks. After around week 45, the percentage of
cracked eggs increases again in correlation to the re-
duced eggshell thickness that occurs with the aging
of the hens.
This phenomenon can be led back to the continuous
depletion of calcium reserves in the bones. As the
hens age and performance progresses, the calcium
levels can eventually not be fully replenished from
feed sources. This will also result in an increase of
losses in older layer hens due to osteoporosis.
It is well known that trace minerals such as zinc, copper and manganese are also important for egg-
shell formation as they are needed for the organic matrix into which calcium is deposited during egg-
shell formation.
This trial showed that the eggshell quality can be in-
fluenced by the supply level of trace minerals and is
improved with adequate supplementation. The use
of LiquiShine in this layer herd was clearly able to
decrease the percentage of cracked eggs, even though an increase was expected due to the age of the hens.
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