A Comparison of the Energy Used by Four Strains of Commercial Laying Hens to Produce One Gram of Egg Content

Abstract Feed for commercial layers has been formulated based on feed intake and daily nutrient requirements. There is some question of whether feed formulated on percent of a nutrient in the diet is adequate for all strains or breeds. Energy required to produce 1g of egg content was determined for four strains of commercial layers (Hy-Line W-36, Hy-LineW-77, DeKalb Delta, and Bovan). The Hy-Line W-36 consumed significantly less energy per 1g of egg content than the other three strains. This finding indicates that the percentage of amino acids in the feed of the Hy-Line W-36 must be higher than for the other three strains.