Title : Effect of dietary phospholipid supplementation on egg production performance and feed efficiency in lohmann brown laying hens: A preliminary study
Abstract:
The South African poultry industry relies heavily on egg production, which is crucial for the nation's agricultural economy and food security. As consumer demand for high-quality eggs rises, egg producers are actively searching for nutritional methods to improve both the quantity and quality of eggs produced. One such method involves adding phospholipids to the diets of laying hens. The study aimed to determine the effect of phospholipid dietary supplementation on egg production performance and feed conversion ratio in Lohmann Brown Laying Hens over a six-week experimental period in South Africa. The hens were divided into three treatment groups: a control group receiving a diet without lecithin (0% lecithin), a group supplemented with 0.5% lecithin, and another supplemented with 1% lecithin. The data were analysed using the General Linear Model procedures of MiniTab 20 and time (weeks) was fitted as a covariate, and significant means were separated using Fisher’s Least Significant Difference (LSD) test. Dietary supplementation of phospholipids influenced (p<0.05) the egg production percentage, egg weight and feed conversion ratio. Layer chickens supplemented with phospholipids at 0.5 (0.97%) and 1 % (1.00) lectin yielded higher (p<0.05) egg production than the control group (0.67 %). Layer chickens supplemented with phospholipids at 0.5 (59.43 g) and 1 % (59.93 g) lectin yielded higher (p<0.05) egg weight than the control group (39.23 g). Layer chickens supplemented with phospholipids at 0.5 (0.03) and 1 % (2.02) lectin yielded lower (p<0.05) FCR than the control group (3.17). This indicates that supplementing phospholipids to the diet, at both tested levels, had a measurable positive effect on these performance indicators. The egg production rate, egg weight and FCR were notably similar (p>0.05) between the layers supplemented with 0.5 (egg production rate: 0.97%, egg weight: 59.34 g and FCR: 2.03) and 1 % (egg production rate: 1.00%, egg weight: 59.93 g, and FCR: 2.02) lectin-supplemented layer flocks. This implies that increasing the phospholipid level from 0.5% to 1% did not result in further significant improvements in these parameters. The benefits plateaued between the two dosages (0.5% to 1%). The study suggests that dietary supplementation with phospholipids, specifically lectin, can improve egg production and efficiencies in laying hens. The optimal level appears to be at least 0.5% lectin, as this level resulted in significantly higher egg production compared to the control group. However, increasing the supplementation to 1% did not provide further significant benefits in terms of egg production rate, egg weight, and FCR. This implies a potential plateau effect, where increasing the phospholipid level beyond a certain point does not lead to additional improvements in these performance indicators.
