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Nutritional factors are often suspected as a prime cause of shell-quality problems. If such problems occur, check the following list of nutrients which play an important role in shell quality:
Calcium
Calcium intake should be between 3.8 and 4.2 g per bird and per day, and be maintained by adjusting the diet formulation or by the use [...]
The egg is formed gradually over a period of about 25 hours. Many organs and systems help to convert raw materials from the food eaten by the hen into the various substances that become part of the egg.
The ovary
The hen, unlike most animals, has only one functional ovary – the left one – situated in [...]
The extent to which fats are rancid is generally measured by the initial peroxide value (IPV) test. Although many laboratories perform the IPV test, results of this test can be confusing and difficult to interpret. The IPV test is reported in “milliequivalents.” A milliequivalent (meq) is a unit of measurement that allows the measurement of [...]
Fats or high-fat ingredients are added to feeds to provide energy, provide essential fatty acids, solubilize fat-soluble vitamins, improve palatability, minimize dust and provide lubrication. However, along with these benefits, fats can introduce problems associated with oxidative rancidity.
Oxidative rancidity of feed fats can reduce metabolizable energy, destroy fat-soluble vitamins and reduce palatability. In severe cases, [...]
The lack of moisture is the primary reason pathogens do not rapidly multiply in feeds. Thus, the primary task in preventing pathogen multiplication in feed is moisture control. Obvious sources of moisture, such as roof leaks, uninsulated pipes or areas where wind can blow rain in, must be eliminated. It should also be recognized that [...]
Control of microbial pathogens in feeds and feed mills involves procedures to
1. Exclude pathogens form the feed
2. Prevent multiplication of the organism in the feed
3. Kill pathogens within the feed and prevent recontamination.
It should be clearly understood that feed milling processes are incapable of killing certain pathogens (i.e., spore formers) Thus, these pathogens MUST be [...]
Sampling is an often over-looked area when gathering information about pathogens in the feed mill environment. Certainly, the collection of adequate samples that represent the batch being sampled is important. However, a more basic question must be addressed. Are we certain that the contamination detected in the feed came from the sample or from the [...]
The first step in ruminal fermentation occurs in the mount with the animal reducing the plant particle size with the molars. In addition, rumination is responsible for further reduction in particle size. These actions serve to increase the surface area of plant particle which allow the bacteria to attach to plant particle.
A symbiotic relationship exists [...]
Horses are frequently housed in facilities that are often designed more for the comfort of the horse owner than for the horse. Horse housing is notoriously poorly ventilated to the point of being air-tight in some cases, and the horses are subjected to breathing poor-quality air. Hence, emphases should be placed on high-quality, dust-free, mold-free [...]
The energy level of the diet indirectly influences feed efficiency via its effect on feed intake. In many locations, classical feed efficiency (feed intake divided by bodyweight gain) is still considered an important management criterion. Certainly, to an integrated operation, classical efficiency assumes less importance, being replaced by such parameters as energy intake: weight gain [...]