title: The effects of dietary available phosphorus levels and phytase on performance of young and older laying hens.
abstract: In the first of two experiments (20 to 70 wk of age), eight treatments consisted of corn-soybean meal diets (0.34% total P, 3.8% Ca, 17% CP, 2,758 kcal ME/kg) containing 0.10, 0.15, 0.20, 0.25, or 0.45% available P (AP), with the three lowest AP diets supplemented with 300 units of phytase/kg of diet. A second experiment evaluated the effect of feeding the 0.10% AP diet with and without phytase on performance and time required for onset of P deficiency in older hens (70 to 76 wk of age). In Experiment 1, the 0.10% AP diet with no supplemental phytase depressed performance by 28 wk of age. No other significant differences in performance were observed among treatments for the entire 20- to 70-wk period except that the 0.15% AP diet with no phytase resulted in body weights and tibia ash that were lower (P < 0.05) than those of hens fed the 0.45% AP diet during the last 30 wk. The mean daily AP intake of hens fed the 0.10% AP, 0.15% AP, 0.45% AP, or 0.10% AP + phytase diets was 94,159, 499, or 108 mg, respectively. Excreta P concentration was decreased by approximately 50% in birds consuming 0.10% AP + 300 U/kg phytase compared with those consuming 0.45% AP. In the second experiment, P deficiency signs occurred within 3 wk of consuming the unsupplemented corn-soybean meal diet (0.10% AP) compared with 8 wk in Experiment 1. The results of this study indicate that phytase improves P utilization in corn-soybean meal diets for laying hens and that a corn-soybean meal diet containing 0.15% AP (159 mg AP/d) or containing 0.10% AP + 300 units of phytase/kg (108 mg AP/d) supported optimal egg production from 20 to 70 wk of age. Additionally, results suggested that older hens may exhibit P deficiency symptoms sooner than younger hens.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana 61801, USA.
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Boling
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Douglas
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Parsons
authors.forename: K W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Koelkebeck
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Zimmerman
mesh_terms: D010832:6-Phytase / Q000378:metabolism*; D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D009752:Nutritional Status; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000172:deficiency / Q000378:metabolism; D012098:Reproduction
chemical_list: D010758:Phosphorus; D010832:6-Phytase