Effect of dietary fluoride and aluminum on laying hen performance and fluoride concentration in blood, soft tissue, bone, and egg.

Changes in laying-hen performance due to the effect of graded levels of dietary fluoride (F) have been documented earlier. The present study examined the effect of dietary F and aluminum (Al) on laying hen performance, and F levels in plasma, soft tissues, muscle, bone, and eggs. Two hundred and seventy Single Comb White Leghorn (SCWL) layers were fed a basal diet containing the following F and Al levels: control; 100 ppm F; 80 ppm Al; 100 ppm F/80 ppm Al; 100 ppm F/40 ppm Al; 1300 ppm F; 1040 ppm Al; 1300 ppm F/1040 ppm Al, and 1300 ppm F/520 ppm Al. After 112 days of feeding, the blood, tissue, bone, and egg samples were collected for analysis. High F intake significantly depressed feed intake and hen-day production and elevated serum, tissue, bone, and egg F levels. Dietary Al minimized the effect of high fluoride feeding. The mean fluoride concentration for low (80 ppm Al diet) vs. high F (1300 ppm) intake was, respectively: plasma, .2 vs. 10.1 ppm; liver, 4.5 vs. 19.2 ppm; kidney, 2.9 vs. 31.8 ppm; pectoralis muscle, 3.6 vs. 6.7; tibia muscle homogenate, 3.9 vs. 21.1 ppm, and bone, 611 vs. 2600 ppm. The majority of the F transferred to the egg was incorporated into the shell (2.8 to 307.1 ppm). Low F levels were found in albumen (fresh, .4 to 1.0 ppm) and yolk (dry fat free, 3.1 to 18.4 ppm). The data suggested that dietary F is readily accumulated in bone and kidney; however, liver and muscle are less responsive.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)