The Effect of Manganese and Phytase in the Diet for Laying Hens on Performance Traits and Eggshell Quality

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of manganese and phytase in the diet for hens on performance and eggshell quality. The study was carried out on 108 H and N Brown Nick hens, from 22-42 weeks of age, allocated to nine experimental groups. Each treatment consisted of 4 replications (3 birds/replicate). The birds were fed a basal diet containing 16% CP, 2800 kcal/ME/kg and 13.86 mg kg(-1) Mn. Nine diets, arranged in a factorial design (3x3) with 3 levels of Mn (Manganese sulfate) diet (0, 35 and 70 mg kg(-1)) and 3 levels of phytase preparation (0, 1000 and 5000 U) were used. The house had controlled ventilation and lighting (16 h day(-1)). All hens were supplied with feed and water ad-libitum. The performance Body Weight Change (BWC) Egg Production (EP) Egg Weight (EW) Egg Mass (EM) Feed Intake (FI) Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) and egg characteristics Egg Shape Index (ESI) Specific Gravity (SG) Albumen Index (AI) Egg Yolk Index (EYI) haugh unit, hu; Egg Shell Breaking Strength (ESBS) Egg Shell Thickness (EST) Egg Shell Weight (ESW) were not influenced by the dietary treatments during the experiment. It is concluded that supplementation manganese and phytase to diets containing a basal level of 13.86 mg kg(-1) Mn is not necessary in laying hens at 22-42 weeks period.