APPLICABILITY OF NON-FEED REMOVAL PROGRAMS TO INDUCE MOLTING INSTEAD OF THE CONVENTIONAL FEED WITHDRAWAL METHOD IN BROWN LAYING HENS

ABSTRACT This study was conducted to compare the applicability of non-feed removal (NFR) programs to induce molting in brown laying hens by feedusing alfalfa meal and barley grain on molting of instead of feed withdrawal in terms of performance, egg quality and profitability. A total of 240, 75-week-old Hy-Line brown laying hens were randomly divided into three groups as conventional feed withdrawal (CONV), and two non-feed removal programs using alfalfa meal (A+F) or barley grain (B+F), each containing 80 hens with 20 replicates (4 hens x 20 replicates = 80 hens). After 10 days of the induced molting the lowest body weight loss (20.01%) was found in the B+F method (p< 0.01). In the second cycle, onset of egg production days were significantly different between groups (p< 0.001) and hens of NFR groups (A+F and B+F) reached 50% egg production earlier than CONV group (p< 0.05). Most of the performance (average egg production, daily feed intake, feed conversion ratio and mortality) and egg quality parameters (egg weight, specific gravity, shell thickness and breakage) of NFR groups were similar to the CONV group (p> 0.05). Haugh unit of CONV group was better than NFR groups, whereas molting by NFR groups improved egg yolk color (p< 0.001). Despite higher feed cost of NFR programs, egg income and profit was better than CONV group (p< 0.001). In conclusion, molting with alfalfa meal and barley grain of brown layers may be used as non-feed removal programs, without negative effects on the performance and egg quality parameters. Besides, these non-feed removal programs have higher income and profitability