Digestible lysine requirements of laying hens from 54 to 70 weeks of age

An experiment was performed to determine the dietary digestible lysine requirement of hens (Lohman LSL and Lohman Brown) from 54 to 70 weeks of age. Three hundred and sixty hens were randomly assigned to 5 x 2 factorial arrangement (Lys levels by hen strain), according to the dietary treatments withj six replicates (groups) of 6 birds. An experimental diet was formulated to contain deficient digestible lysine levels in order to be supplemented with lysine (L-Lys-HCL, 78%) originating the five dietary treatments (0.555; 0.605; 0.655; 0.705 and 0.755% of digestible lysine). The parameters analyzed were egg production, egg weight, egg mass, feed intake, lysine intake, feed conversion, albumen weight, yolk weight and shell weight, Haugh unit, albumen index and yolk index, percentage of non-commercial eggs and body weight gain. There was linear effect of lysine levels to light laying hens on feed intake, lysine intake, yolk index, albumen weight, yolk weight and quadratic effect on egg production, egg weight, egg mass, feed conversion and shell weight. For brown-type laying hens, there was linear effect of lysine levels on lysine intake and egg weight and quadratic effect on egg production, egg mass, feed conversion and shell weight. The digestible lysine requirements were estimated through polynomial regression models. Estimates of digestible lysine requirements were calculated as 0.724 and 0.692% for light laying hens and brown-type laying hens, respectively, which corresponds to 784 and 748 mg/hen/day and 14.9 and 14.5 g of digestible lysine/g egg mass produced, in the period from 54 to 70 weeks of age.