Benefits of low sodium in the diets of laying hens during the period prior to forced rest.
Two experiments were conducted to study the performance of laying hens when sodium chloride and dicalcium phosphate were removed from the diet for 4 days before beginning the forced rest treatment. Calcium level of the diet was increased 2.4%. When the sodium was removed from the diet, hens laid 3.3 and 1.9 more eggs before going out of production in Experiment 1 and 2, respectively, than hens from which the feed was removed on Day 1. The performance of the hens following the resting period was not influenced by removing the salt from the diet in the prerest period (Days 0 to 4). Egg weight and specific gravity were not affected.
D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D002130:Calcium Phosphates / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002645:Chickens / Q000502:physiology*; D004039:Diet, Sodium-Restricted; D005260:Female; D010058:Oviposition; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000008:administration & dosage
D002130:Calcium Phosphates; C485828:alpha-tricalcium phosphate; C485830:tetracalcium phosphate; D012965:Sodium Chloride; C485838:calcium phosphate, monobasic, anhydrous; C020243:calcium phosphate; C485829:calcium phosphate, dibasic, anhydrous