A twice-a-day feeding regimen optimizes performance in broiler breeder hens

Daily feeding frequency affects feed intake and body weight management of growing layers

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of feeding behavior on feed intake and body weight in growing layers and the underlying mechanisms, thereby providing a scientific foundation for optimal feeding practices in growing layers' management. A total of 144 Hy-line brown growing layers of 10 wk old and similar body weight, were divided into 3 treatment groups with different feeding frequency and equal cumulative daily feeding amount: the once-a-day feeding group (F1) was fed at 9:00 am every day, with feeding amount of 150 g/layer; the twice-a-day feeding group (F2) were fed at 9:00 am and 13:00 pm every day, with each feeding amount of 75 g/layer; the 4 times-a-day feeding group (F4) were fed at 9:00 am, 11:00 am, 13:00 pm, and 15:00 pm every day, with each feeding amount of 37.5 g/layer. Pre-experiment lasted for 1 wk and formal experiment lasted for 8 wk. The results indicated that the daily feed intake and body weight were decreased (P < 0.05) while feed conversion ratio was not affected (P > 0.05) as daily feeding times increased. The glandular stomach proportion was significantly increased in twice-a-day feeding group, while liver proportion and ileum length were significantly increased in 4 times-feeding group (P < 0.05). Additionally, 4 times-feeding daily resulted in a significant elevation of blood glucose levels, which may have suppressed feed intake (P < 0.05). In 4 times-feeding group, the plasma triglyceride levels increased as feeding times, accompanied by a notable up-regulation in the mRNA level of appetite-suppressing gene, hypothalamic pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) and glandular stomach ghrelin. This modulation effectively suppressed the subsequent feed intake and body weight. Therefore, 4 times feeding daily is recommended in growing layers' management, because it reduced the feed cost without affecting the feed conversion efficiency.

Impact of In Ovo Leptin Injection and Dietary Protein Levels on Ovarian Growth Markers and Early Folliculogenesis in Post-Hatch Chicks (Gallus gallus domesticus)

Genetically bred for rapid growth, broiler breeder hens develop obesity and ovarian dysfunction when fed ad libitum, resembling a condition that resembles human polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Nutritional control applies to post-hatched chicks from one week onward to prevent the development of a PCOS-like phenotype in adult broilers. This study investigated the impact of a growth marker, leptin, and post-hatch nutritional intake on early-life ovarian function. Fertile broiler eggs were injected in ovo with physiological saline solution or 5 µg of leptin and then incubated. After hatching, female chicks were fed ad libitum a diet containing low protein (17% low crude protein (LP)) or standard protein (22% standard crude protein (SP)). Tissues were collected from 7- and 28-day-old chicks for RT-qPCR and histological analysis. In contrast to the LP diet, the SP diet suppressed the mRNA expression of ovarian growth markers essential for folliculogenesis in post-hatched chicks. Leptin injection did not influence ovarian growth markers but increased pituitary gonadotropin transcripts in 7-day-old chicks fed with LP diet. No treatment effects on follicle activation were noted on day 7, but by day 28, in ovo leptin-treated LP-fed chicks exhibited a higher percentage of primary follicles. These changes may have resulted from the early upregulation of genes by leptin during the first week, including pituitary gonadotropins and ovarian leptin receptors. The decline in ovarian growth markers with the SP diet highlights the importance of precise post-hatch protein calculation, which may influence future ovarian function in animals. These findings may contribute to future dietary strategies to enhance broiler reproduction.

Effect of restricted feeding on hen performance, egg quality and organ characteristics of individual laying hens

This study was to assess the impact of permanent or temporary restricted feeding on laying hen production traits, physiology, and egg quality. Two hundred and forty individually housed ISA Brown hens were monitored across 2 phases, assigned to 3 treatments: ad libitum feeding (ALF), temporary restricted feeding (TRF) and permanent restricted feeding (PRF), n = 80 hens per treatment. In Phase 1 (P1), 22 to 40 weeks, the TRF and PRF hens were offered 115 g of feed daily. In Phase 2 (P2), 41 to 46 weeks, the TRF hens were transitioned to ALF status while the ALF and PRF hens remained as in P1. From 35 to 40 weeks, eggs were collected once weekly from 15 hens per treatment and assessed for differences in albumen, yolk, and shell variables. At 45 weeks, 10 hens each from the ALF and PRF groups were euthanized and differences in organ characteristics were assessed. In P1, feed intake, feed to egg conversion ratio and body weight (BW) change were lower (P < 0.01), while albumen height and Haugh unit were higher (P < 0.01) in both PRF and TRF hen treatments compared to hens allocated the ALF treatment. In P2, TRF and ALF hens had a higher egg production and egg mass than PRF (P < 0.01) than ALF. Body weight change in P2 was higher in TRF and similar in both ALF and PRF, while feed intake and feed conversion ratio were higher in TRF followed by ALF and least in the PRF treatment group (P < 0.01). At 45 weeks ALF hens had a greater abdominal fat pad weight and fatty liver haemorrhagic syndrome lesion score compared to PRF. Restricting hens to 115 g of feed per day from point of lay restrained BW, improved feed conversion ratio and albumen quality and reduced abdominal fat pad deposition and clinical signs of fatty liver haemorrhagic syndrome in individually housed laying hens.

Effects of feeding strategies during lay on broiler breeder production performance, eggshell quality, incubation traits, and behavior

An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of a standard diet twice a day or split-feeding in broiler breeders on production performance, eggshell quality, incubation traits, and behavior. A total of 720 Ross 308 female breeders (45 weeks of age [WOA]) and 24 males (25 WOA) were randomly placed in 24 floor pens. The birds followed 3 feeding strategies: 1) Standard breeder diet fed once a day (100% at 0730 h) (CON), 2) Standard breeder diet fed twice a day (50% at 0730 h and 50% at 1600 h) (TAD), and 3) Split-feeding fed twice a day, with a morning (0730 h) and afternoon (1600 h) diet (SF). The morning diet contained more energy, protein, and phosphorus (P) and less calcium (Ca) than the control and afternoon diets. The afternoon diet had lower energy, protein, and P and higher Ca content than the control and morning diets. The TAD and SF birds tended to have a lower water intake (P = 0.055) and water-to-feed ratio (P = 0.054) compared to the CON birds. A 2.1% points higher hen-day egg production was found for the SF birds compared to the CON birds (P = 0.063), whereas the TAD birds did not differ from the other treatments. No differences were found for egg weight, eggshell quality, fertility, embryonic mortality, or average feather cover. A tendency toward a higher albumen percentage (P = 0.060) and lower yolk percentage (P = 0.069) was found for the TAD birds compared to the SF birds. The albumen-to-yolk ratio was higher (P = 0.022) for the TAD birds than for the CON and SF birds. Due to the twice-a-day feed distribution, the TAD and SF birds showed considerably different behavioral patterns than the de CON birds. In conclusion, twice-a-day feeding decreases the water intake and water-to-feed ratio, whereas split-feeding tended to an improved egg production in broiler breeders. However, no effects were observed on eggshell quality and incubation traits, whereas the behavioral patterns of the birds fed twice a day differed considerably with potential better welfare.

Effects of twice a day feeding and split feeding during lay on broiler breeder production performance, eggshell quality, incubation traits, and behavior

Eggshell quality of broiler breeders' eggs decreases at the end of the laying period. Feeding a limited daily allowance of feed in the morning does not supply the necessary nutrients, particularly calcium for eggshell formation, at the right time of the day. Therefore, an experiment was conducted to study the effects of providing a standard diet twice a day or split feeding (special morning and afternoon diet) in broiler breeders on production performance, eggshell quality, incubation traits, and behavior. At 50 wk of age (WOA) 576 females and 48 males were randomly allotted to 24 floor pens and assigned to one of three treatments: 1) Standard breeder diet fed once a day (100% at 0730 h) (CON1x), 2) Standard breeder diet fed twice a day (50% at 0730 h and 50% at 1400 h) (CON2x), and 3) Split feeding fed twice a day, with a special morning (0730 h) and afternoon (1400 h) diet composition (SP2x). The morning diet was energetically comparable with the control diet, but it contained more protein and phosphorus (P) and less calcium (Ca). The afternoon diet had a lower energy, protein and P and a higher Ca content than the control and morning diet. The SP2x birds tended to have a higher egg production between 51 and 55 WOA (27.0 vs. 25.9 eggs; P = 0.088) compared to the CON1x birds, while the CON2x birds (26.6 eggs) did not differ from the other treatments. No differences were found on egg production for the total period (51-60 WOA) and on other production parameters. The different feeding strategies did not affect eggshell quality and incubation traits. However, the feeding strategies affected the behavioral patterns considerably. Twice a day feeding (CON2x and SP2x) resulted in more time spent on eating and sitting, and in less time spent on foraging and object pecking (P ≤ 0.05) compared to feeding once a day (CON1x). In conclusion, twice a day feeding improves behavior and split feeding improves both egg production and behavior in broiler breeders, however, no effects were observed on eggshell quality and incubation traits.

The effect of increasing feeding frequency on performance, plasma hormones and metabolites, and hepatic lipid metabolism of broiler breeder hens

An experiment was conducted to study the effects of feeding regimens on reproductive performance, plasma hormone and metabolite levels, and hepatic lipid metabolism of Cobb 500 broiler breeder hens from 26 to 38 wk of age. Seventy-two birds were used in a completely randomized design with 3 treatments, each replicated 4 times. Treatments were as follows: 1) once a day feeding, in which birds were fed once a day at 0615 h (control), 2) twice a day feeding, in which daily allocated feed was fed in 2 equal meals at 0615 and 1215 h, and 3) thrice a day feeding in which daily allocated feed was offered in 3 equal meals at 0615, 1215, and 1815 h. Through 38 wk of age, total hen-day egg production in the hens fed twice and thrice a day was greater (67.1 and 67.2 vs. 62.2 eggs/hen, P < 0.01). Similarly, egg weight was higher (P < 0.01) in birds fed more than once a day. Multi-meal-fed birds had significantly lower plasma triiodothyronine and glucose at 32 wk and also lower glucose and cholesterol, and higher 17β-estradiol levels at 38 wk than those fed once a day (P ≤ 0.05). Hepatic expression of malic enzyme, fatty acid synthase, acetyl-CoA carboxylase, and ATP citrate lyase relative to β-actin decreased (P < 0.05) in birds fed twice and thrice a day compared with birds fed once a day at peak egg production (32 wk). In contrast, feeding regimens did not affect the hepatic gene expression of lipogenic enzymes after peak egg production at 38 wk. Stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1) gene expression was constant over dietary regimens. There was no difference in malic enzyme activity in multi-meal-fed birds at 38 wk. In summary, feeding broiler breeder hens 2 or 3 meals per day improved the reproductive performance during the early lay cycle. Implementing twice or thrice a day feeding regimens altered hepatic lipogenic gene expression in broiler breeder hens only at peak egg production, which indicated a short-term effect of increasing feeding frequency on hepatic lipid metabolism.

Ovarian morphology and internal vis-à-vis non internal laying in relation to triacylglycerol, hormones and their receptors concentration around the age of sexual maturity in broiler breeder hens

1. Ovarian morphology, serum hormone concentrations of 17-β-estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, tri-iodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4) and triacylglycerol (TAG) were investigated at 23 and 26 weeks of age in broiler breeder hens provided with ad libitum access to feed. Progesterone, oestrogen-β, thyroid-α and -β receptor mRNAs were also quantified in the infundibulum at the same ages. 2. A large variation in the ovarian morphology was observed at 23 weeks of age including hens with undeveloped ovaries, non-laying hens with post ovulatory follicles (POF) and a predominance of non-laying hens without a POF. 3. Serum concentrations of triglyceride, 17-β-estradiol and progesterone at 23 weeks of age were lower in hens with an undeveloped ovary compared with other groups of hens, whereas testosterone, triiodothyronine and thyroxin were higher. 4. At 26 weeks of age, the average number of hierarchical yellow follicles in normal layers was 7.64 ± 0·41 whereas in internal layers, the follicular numbers were significantly greater at 8.66 ± 0·53. The higher follicular numbers in internal layers were associated with higher serum triglyceride and progesterone concentrations. 5. Oestrogen receptor-β and thyroid receptor-β mRNA was up regulated in the infundibulum of internal layers compared with normal laying hens at 26 weeks of age.