This experiment was carried out to evaluate the effects of feeding green tea powder on laying performance and egg quality in hens. A total 180 “Tetran Brown” laying hens aged 40 weeks were assigned to 6 treatments in a completely randomized design. Each treatment consisted of five replicates accommodating six layers per replication. The experimental diets were a negative control containing no g...

This trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of high-dose daidzein supplements on laying performance, egg quality and antioxidation in laying hens during the late laying period. Seven hundred sixty eight 55-wk-old Hyline Brown were randomly assigned to four groups with 8 replicates of 24 birds each (192 laying hens per group) and fed diets supplemented with 0 (control), 10mg/kg, 50mg/kg and...

The objective of this study was to compare the performance, egg quality, and microbial contamination of egg shells from hens maintained in different housing systems, such as conventional and enriched cages, litter, and aviaries. The housing system significantly (P < 0.001) influenced the performance characteristics. The highest egg production, lowest daily feed consumption, and feed conversion ...

Since the 1980s, the prevalence of Salmonella in Belgian poultry layers and broilers has greatly fluctuated with a rise observed in 2003 and a significant decrease in 2005. In order to alleviate the risk at egg consumer level, it is crucial to understand the factors which influence the contamination and the spread of Salmonella in laying hens. To study such determinants we explored the Belgian ...

OBJECTIVE Currently, there is not a fully characterized model for human ovarian cancer; however, 2- to 4-year-old laying hens spontaneously develop ovarian tumors. CA125 expression is a hallmark of ovarian cancer in women. The major objective of this study was to characterize the in vitro growth of avian ovarian tumor cells, and CA125 expression in avian ovarian tumors. METHODS Immunohistoche...

The permeability of the upper jejunum to water, calcium, potassium, sodium and chloride was measured in the immature pullet and then in the laying hen before and during egg-shell calcification by an in vivo perfusion procedure. Jejunal calcium permeability was constant throughout egg formation. Thus, the increase of net absorption during shell calcification was not due to enhanced mucosal capac...

Layer and Breeder rations are still evaluated, as a rule, on the basis of their protein content, expressed as "percent protein". This is the easiest and most practical criterion, but unfortunately it is a relative measure, depending on general feed consumption. The latter hardly relates to the productive traits of the hen, being dependent primarily on the energy content of the feed and on the e...

Salmonella Typhimurium has been reported to contaminate egg production across the world, but where Salmonella Enteritidis is endemic it is this latter serovar that dominates egg-borne salmonellosis. However, Salmonella Typhimurium is a major food-borne pathogen so it is important to understand how it can impact the microbiological safety of eggs and what serovar-specific control strategies may ...