Effects of different feeding strategies on egg production, eggshell quality, tibial mass and intestinal calcium transporter expression in laying hens

1. This study examined feeding practices that could affect the expression of intestinal calcium transporter gene, tibial mass, eggshell quality and production performance in 25-week-old Hy-Line Brown Laying Hens.2. In this study, 360 healthy 25-week-old Hy-Line Brown laying hens were divided into three treatment groups with 10 replicates of 12 hens per group. The groups were fed as follows: 1) Twice a day, 50% of the standard breeder diet was fed at 8:00 and 15:00 (CFG); 2) Two-thirds of the standard breeder diet was fed at 8:00 and 15:00 (UFG), respectively; 3) Two different diets were fed separately, 50% at 8:00 and 50% at 15:00 (SFG)3. The feed-to-egg ratios of the CFG and SFG groups were significantly higher than those of the UFG group. The eggshell weight of the UFG group was numerically reduced (p > 0.05) compared to the CFG and SFG groups. The papilla, barrier, effective layers and the thickness of the particular eggshell layers were different in each group. The amount of calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) in the bones, eggshells and excreta varied by group. According to gene expression analysis, PMCA and CaBP-28K expression in the duodenum and jejunum differed significantly4. The results suggested that segmented feeding may enhance Ca deposition in eggshells, reduce bone Ca loss and improve its utilisation efficiency. This feeding strategy results in enhanced performance in layers and improves eggshell quality.