Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation (DETO), Section of Veterinary Science and Animal Production, and.
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro," Valenzano 70010, Italy.
Poult Sci. 2014 Jul;93(7):1868-74. doi: 10.3382/ps.2013-03831. Epub 2014 May 26.
This study was designed to determine the effects on laying performance and egg quality resulting from partial substitution of soybean meal (SBM) with low-fiber alfalfa (LFA; Medicago sativa L.) meal in the diet of early-phase laying hens. ISA Brown layers, 18 wk of age, were randomly allocated to 2 dietary treatments and fed for 10 wk. The hens were fed 2 wheat middling-based diets: a control diet, which contained SBM (15% of diet), and a test diet containing LFA (15% of diet) as the main protein source. Low-fiber alfalfa meal was obtained by a combination of sieving and air-classification processes. Feed intake was recorded daily, and egg production was calculated on a hen-day basis; eggs from each group were weekly collected to evaluate egg components and quality. The partial substitution of SBM with LFA had no adverse effect on growth performance of early-phase laying hens. Egg production and none of the egg-quality traits examined were influenced by dietary treatment, except for yolk color (P < 0.001) and yolk percentage (P < 0.05) as well as yolk cholesterol and β-carotene contents (P < 0.001), which were improved in hens fed the LFA diet. Including LFA increased serum β-carotene and reduced serum cholesterol concentrations (P < 0.001). Our results suggest that partially replacing conventional SBM as protein source with low-fiber alfalfa meal in the laying-hen diet can positively influence yolk quality without adversely affecting productive traits.
本研究旨在确定在饲粮中用低纤维紫花苜蓿（Medicago sativa L.）部分替代大豆粕（SBM）对产蛋早期母鸡产蛋性能和蛋品质的影响。18 周龄的 ISA Brown 母鸡随机分配到 2 种饲粮处理组，连续饲喂 10 周。母鸡饲喂 2 种基于小麦次粉的饲粮：对照饲粮，含 SBM（饲粮的 15%）；试验饲粮，含 LFA（饲粮的 15%）作为主要蛋白质来源。低纤维紫花苜蓿是通过筛分分选和空气分级组合获得的。每日记录采食量，以母鸡日为单位计算产蛋量；每周从每组收集鸡蛋，以评估蛋成分和品质。用 LFA 部分替代 SBM 对产蛋早期母鸡的生长性能没有不良影响。饲粮处理对产蛋率和所研究的蛋品质性状均没有影响，除了蛋黄颜色（P < 0.001）和蛋黄比例（P < 0.05）以及蛋黄胆固醇和β-胡萝卜素含量（P < 0.001）外，饲喂 LFA 饲粮的母鸡的这些指标得到改善。添加 LFA 增加了血清β-胡萝卜素含量，降低了血清胆固醇浓度（P < 0.001）。结果表明，在产蛋母鸡饲粮中用低纤维紫花苜蓿部分替代常规 SBM 作为蛋白质来源可以积极影响蛋黄品质，而不影响生产性能。
