A method for improving uniformity of young laying hens by adding premixes in stages

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of phased addition premix to improve the feeding method of uniformity of young laying hen, and feeds different functional formula combination premix in the period of laying hen brooding and growing period.The present application is added in different stages to premix feed containing different functional components ratio in 1-8 weeks old brooding stage and 9-17 weeks old growing stage according to the characteristics of the growth and development of laying hen in each stage, to improve the nutrient digestion and absorption of laying hen, promote the development of immune function, promote the construction of intestinal microorganism homeostasis, improve bone quality, improve the disease resistance, and finally significantly improve the uniformity of young laying hen.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of agricultural and livestock breeding technology, and in particular, it is a feeding method to improve the uniformity of young laying hens. Background Technology

[0002] Efficient breeding of young laying hens is an important aspect.

[0003] The uniformity of laying hens is a crucial indicator of a flock's egg production performance. It primarily comprises two indicators: weight uniformity and body size uniformity. These directly impact the duration of peak egg production and require close monitoring during egg-laying hen farming. High uniformity ensures a consistent and uniform response to light stimuli, leading to a rapid and stable increase in egg production and a stable peak laying period. Conversely, poor uniformity results in asynchronous responses to changes in light and feed, leading to reduced egg production after the flock begins laying, lower eggshell quality, and an unstable peak laying period.

[0004] Young laying hens, also known as pullets, generally refer to hens aged 7-18 weeks. Currently, existing methods to improve the uniformity of young laying hens mainly focus on improving the rearing environment and feeding management. These methods include controlling chicken house temperature, enhancing daily ventilation, providing adequate lighting, and adjusting flock density as needed. Feed management also generally emphasizes providing complete, nutritionally balanced diets during the growing period, focusing on the supply of routine nutrients, and using methods such as group rearing and restricted feeding. However, existing methods rely on external conditions to improve laying hen uniformity, addressing issues only after they are identified. This means controlling nutrient supply during the growing period yields unsatisfactory results. Furthermore, they generally overlook the self-regulation mechanisms in the early stages of animal growth and development, and the impact of early nutritional regulation on subsequent growth and development and uniformity. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the problems existing in the background technology, the present invention provides a feeding method for improving the uniformity of young laying hens by adding premixed feed in stages, which can significantly improve the uniformity of young laying hens.

[0006] The technical solution adopted in this invention is: a feeding method for improving the uniformity of young laying hens by adding premixed feed in stages. During the brooding stage (1-8 weeks old) and the rearing stage (9-17 weeks old), different combinations of functional ingredients in the premixed feed are added to the basal diet. The specific feeding method is as follows:

[0007] The raw material components and weight percentages of the premix added during the brooding period of laying hens aged 1-8 weeks are as follows: xylooligosaccharides 4-5%, Bacillus subtilis 4-6%, amylase 2-3%, protease 2-3%, lipase 1-2%, β-mannanase 2-3%, 25-OH-D3 0.002%, antimicrobial peptides 2-3%, and rice bran 74.998-82.998%;

[0008] The raw material components and weight percentages of the premix added during the rearing period of laying hens aged 9-17 weeks are as follows: xylooligosaccharides 5-6%, Bacillus subtilis 3-4%, β-mannanase 3-5%, 25-OH-D3 0.002%, antimicrobial peptides 1-2%, and rice bran 82.998-87.998%.

[0009] Further preferred, during the brooding period of laying hens from 1 to 8 weeks of age, the raw material components and weight percentages of the premix are as follows: xylooligosaccharides 4%, Bacillus subtilis 6%, amylase 2%, protease 2%, lipase 1%, β-mannanase 3%, 25-OH-D3 0.002%, antimicrobial peptides 3%, and rice bran 78.998%; during the rearing period from 9 to 17 weeks of age, the raw material components and weight percentages of the premix are as follows: xylooligosaccharides 6%, Bacillus subtilis 4%, β-mannanase 5%, 25-OH-D3 0.002%, antimicrobial peptides 1%, and rice bran 83.998%.

[0010] Preferably, during the brooding period of laying hens from 1 to 8 weeks of age, the raw material components and weight percentages of the premix are as follows: xylooligosaccharide 5%, Bacillus subtilis 6%, amylase 3%, protease 3%, lipase 2%, β-mannanase 2%, 25-OH-D3 0.002%, antimicrobial peptide 2%, and rice bran 76.998%; during the rearing period from 9 to 17 weeks of age, the raw material components and weight percentages of the premix are as follows: xylooligosaccharide 5%, Bacillus subtilis 3%, β-mannanase 3%, 25-OH-D3 0.002%, antimicrobial peptide 2%, and rice bran 86.998%.

[0011] Furthermore, the amount of the premix added per ton of feed is 5000g.

[0012] Furthermore, the laying hens mentioned are Lohmann pink laying hens.

[0013] The uniformity of laying hens mainly includes two indicators: weight uniformity and body size uniformity. Weight and shank length uniformity are measured by the percentage of hens whose weight and shank length fall within 10% of the average value, respectively. Ideally, the weight and shank length uniformity of a young laying hen flock should reach 80%. Brooding is a crucial stage in laying hen farming. During this stage, chicks are relatively weak, their immune systems are not yet fully developed, and their disease resistance is poor. The quality of brooding directly affects the growth, development, and survival rate of chicks, and also influences the production performance and utilization value of adult chickens.

[0014] The brooding period for commercial laying hens is from 1 to 8 weeks of age. After hatching, chicks have underdeveloped digestive systems and rely on two sources of nutrition: first, a nutrient-rich, easily digestible, high-protein feed; and second, the nutrients provided by the incompletely absorbed yolk sac within the chick's abdomen. The brooding period is crucial for the development of the chick's various systems. As the chick's organs and tissues gradually develop from their immature or nonexistent functions, they are highly susceptible to external stressors, relying mainly on maternal antibodies for protection against disease. They are extremely vulnerable to environmental influences, which can lead to pathological conditions and even death.

[0015] Laying hens are in their growing period from 9 to 18 weeks of age. This is a period of rapid growth and development, during which the functions of various bodily systems are basically completed. Therefore, the nutrients absorbed are mainly converted into the growth of bones and muscles. As laying hens grow, their ability to deposit calcium increases, and fat deposition also increases. If the feed is not properly formulated, it can easily lead to obesity, which will seriously affect the egg production and egg quality in the later stages of laying.

[0016] This invention innovatively employs premixes with different functional component combinations for feeding laying hens during the brooding and rearing stages, tailored to their growth and development characteristics. During the embryonic stage, the entire gastrointestinal tract of poultry remains sterile. Only after hatching does it come into contact with various microorganisms in the external environment, introducing various bacteria. The originally sterile ecological niche of the chick's intestine is easily susceptible to the colonization and proliferation of pathogens. The brooding period is a crucial stage for the establishment of the poultry's intestinal microbiota structure. This invention uses xylooligosaccharides, Bacillus subtilis, and antimicrobial peptides added during the brooding and rearing stages to promote the early construction and sustained stability of the dominant intestinal microbiota in laying hens.

[0017] Meanwhile, the digestive tract of laying hens is underdeveloped in the early stages of growth, resulting in insufficient secretion of digestive enzymes. Supplementing with exogenous digestive enzymes can promote the digestion and absorption of nutrients. Furthermore, the skeletal growth and development of laying hens is mainly concentrated in the brooding and rearing stages. Regulating bone growth during these key stages by adding 25-OH-D3 can promote bone growth and improve bone quality. After selecting different functional components based on the characteristics of the brooding, rearing, and growing periods of laying hens, and considering the combined effects and costs of each component, the addition ratios of different functional components at different stages were determined to maximize the effectiveness and benefits of the premix.

[0018] This invention effectively improves the digestion and absorption of nutrients in laying hens, promotes the development of immune function, improves bone quality, promotes the construction of gut microbial homeostasis, and enhances disease resistance by regulating nutrition in stages during the brooding and rearing periods of laying hens. This results in a significant improvement in the uniformity of young laying hens.

[0019] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: This invention adds premixed feeds with different functional component combinations to the feed of laying hens during the brooding and rearing stages, which improves the digestion and absorption of nutrients in laying hens, promotes the construction of a stable intestinal microbiota and the development of immune function, improves and regulates bone growth in laying hens during the main growth and development stages, enhances disease resistance, significantly improves the uniformity of young laying hens, and improves the egg production performance and egg quality of laying hens during the laying period, forming a stable peak egg production period, and achieving good economic and social benefits. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The following examples are used to illustrate the present invention, but are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

[0021] A feeding method for improving the uniformity of young laying hens by adding premixed feed in stages involves using premixed feeds with different functional component combinations in stages to improve the uniformity of young laying hens. The method is to add premixed feeds with different functional component combinations to the feed during the brooding and growing periods of laying hens.

[0022] Example 1

[0023] This embodiment uses Lohmann Powder laying hens. The nutritional levels of the basal diet during the brooding and rearing stages are formulated according to the Lohmann Powder laying hen feeding and management manual, maintaining a consistent amino acid ratio. The basal diet is corn-soybean meal type, and the feed form is powder. Premixes with different functional components are added to the brooding and rearing diets according to the following component combinations and fed continuously. The specific feeding method is as follows:

[0024] During the brooding period of laying hens from 1 to 8 weeks of age, the raw material components and weight percentages of the premix are as follows: xylooligosaccharide 4%, Bacillus subtilis 6%, amylase 2%, protease 2%, lipase 1%, β-mannanase 3%, 25-OH-D3 0.002%, antimicrobial peptide 3%, and rice bran 78.998%;

[0025] During the 9-17 week growth period, the raw material components and weight percentages of the premix were as follows: xylooligosaccharide 6%, Bacillus subtilis 4%, β-mannanase 5%, 25-OH-D3 0.002%, antimicrobial peptide 1%, and rice bran 83.998%.

[0026] The premixed feed is added at a rate of 5000g per ton of feed. The chicks are raised in a three-tiered cage system, with each chick located in a different cage position, evenly distributed throughout the chicken house, and have free access to water and feed. After the brooding period, the chicks are transferred to the rearing house.

[0027] Example 2

[0028] In this embodiment, Lohmann Powder laying hens were selected. The nutritional level of the basal diet for laying hens was formulated in accordance with the Lohmann Powder laying hen feeding and management manual, maintaining a consistent amino acid ratio. The basal diet was corn-soybean meal type, and the feed form was powder, consistent with Example 1.

[0029] Premixed feeds with different functional ingredients are continuously fed to the brooding and growing season diets according to the following component combinations. The specific feeding method is as follows:

[0030] For laying hens during the brooding period of 1 to 8 weeks of age, the raw material components and weight percentages of the premixed feed are as follows: xylooligosaccharide 5%, Bacillus subtilis 6%, amylase 3%, protease 3%, lipase 2%, β-mannanase 2%, 25-OH-D3 0.002%, antimicrobial peptide 2%, and rice bran 76.998%;

[0031] During the 9-17 week growth period, the raw material components and weight percentages of the premix were as follows: xylooligosaccharide 5%, Bacillus subtilis 3%, β-mannanase 3%, 25-OH-D3 0.002%, antimicrobial peptide 2%, and rice bran 86.998%.

[0032] The premixed feed is added at a rate of 5000g per ton of feed. The chicks are still raised in a three-tiered cage system, with each chick located in a different cage position, evenly distributed throughout the chicken house, and have free access to water and feed. After the brooding period, the chicks are transferred to the rearing house.

[0033] Example 3

[0034] Example 3 serves as the control group, using Lohmann Powder laying hens. The nutritional level of the basal diet for these hens was formulated according to the Lohmann Powder Laying Hen Feeding and Management Manual, maintaining a consistent amino acid ratio. The basal diet was corn-soybean meal type, and the feed form was powder, without the addition of premixed feed. Other feeding methods were the same as in Examples 1 and 2.

[0035] Examples 1, 2, and 3 all involved 360 one-day-old Lohmann pink layer chickens of similar weight, randomly divided into three treatments, with six replicates per treatment and 20 chickens per replicate. The experiment lasted 17 weeks, with a brooding period of 1–8 weeks and a rearing period of 9–17 weeks. Feeding and management followed the Lohmann layer chicken feeding and management manual. The temperature in the coop was maintained at approximately 35°C at 1 day old, gradually decreasing to 20°C by 35 days of age. For the first 1–3 days after entering the coop, the chicks received 24-hour lighting, which was reduced to 8 hours at 8 weeks and maintained until the end of the rearing period. In addition, during the experiment, the layer chickens received routine vaccinations and had free access to water and feed.

[0036] Example 4

[0037] Evenness was measured using the percentage of chickens whose body weight and shank length were within 10% of the average. The results are shown in Tables 1 and 2 below.

[0038] Table 1. Effects of feed premixes with different functional ingredients on shank length uniformity in laying hens

[0039]

[0040] Table 2. Effects of premixed feeds with different functional ingredients on weight uniformity in laying hens.

[0041]

[0042] The test results in Tables 1 and 2 show that, compared with the control group in Example 3, the uniformity of laying hens in Examples 1 and 2, which added premix in stages, met the standard. The present invention can significantly improve the uniformity of shank length and weight of laying hens at different stages by adding premixes with different functional components to the feed during the brooding and rearing periods of laying hens.

[0043] In this specification, the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments thereof; however, it will be apparent that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, this specification should be considered illustrative rather than restrictive.

Claims

1. A method for improving the uniformity of young laying hens by adding premixes in stages, characterized in that, During the brooding stage (1-8 weeks) and the rearing stage (9-17 weeks), premixes with different functional ingredient combinations are added to the basal diet for feeding. The specific feeding methods are as follows: The raw material components and weight percentages of the premix added during the brooding period of laying hens aged 1-8 weeks are as follows: xylooligosaccharides 4-5%, Bacillus subtilis 4-6%, amylase 2-3%, protease 2-3%, lipase 1-2%, β-mannanase 2-3%, 25-OH-D3 0.002%, antimicrobial peptides 2-3%, and rice bran 74.998-82.998%; The raw material components and weight percentages of the premix added during the rearing period of laying hens aged 9-17 weeks are as follows: xylooligosaccharides 5-6%, Bacillus subtilis 3-4%, β-mannanase 3-5%, 25-OH-D3 0.002%, antimicrobial peptides 1-2%, and rice bran 82.998-87.998%; The amount of the premix added per ton of feed is 5000g.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method is characterized by, For laying hens during the brooding period of 1-8 weeks, the raw material components and weight percentages of the premix feed are as follows: xylooligosaccharide 4%, Bacillus subtilis 6%, amylase 2%, protease 2%, lipase 1%, β-mannanase 3%, 25-OH-D3 0.002%, antimicrobial peptide 3%, and rice bran 78.998%; During the 9-17 week growth period, the raw material components and weight percentages of the premix were as follows: xylooligosaccharide 6%, Bacillus subtilis 4%, β-mannanase 5%, 25-OH-D3 0.002%, antimicrobial peptide 1%, and rice bran 83.998%.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, For laying hens during the brooding period of 1 to 8 weeks of age, the raw material components and weight percentages of the premixed feed are as follows: xylooligosaccharide 5%, Bacillus subtilis 6%, amylase 3%, protease 3%, lipase 2%, β-mannanase 2%, 25-OH-D3 0.002%, antimicrobial peptide 2%, and rice bran 76.998%; During the 9-17 week growth period, the raw material components and weight percentages of the premix were as follows: xylooligosaccharide 5%, Bacillus subtilis 3%, β-mannanase 3%, 25-OH-D3 0.002%, antimicrobial peptide 2%, and rice bran 86.998%.

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