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Consumer demand for retail cage-free eggs is driving the layer industry towards greater use of extensive housing environments. However, there is limited research on how these environments affect egg production characteristics of brown egg layers, as was the focus of this study. Five housing environments were evaluated under typical industry conditions, including conventional cages, enrichable colony cages, enriched colony cages, cage-free and free-range. Three different brown egg laying strains were housed in the different housing environments and managed according to standard husbandry practices and stocking densities. Data collection for the strains began at 17 weeks of age, with a base period of 28 days for feed weigh backs and egg quality assessments. Housing environment had a highly significant (p < 0.0001) effect on all egg production characteristics measured, including egg production rates (% hen-day and % hen-housed), feed consumption (g/bird/day), feed conversion (egg g/feed g), and mortality rate (%) as well as percent grade A, B, and loss. Previous research revealed better egg production metrics for white egg layers in caged environments than extensive environments. In contrast, we observed brown egg layers had optimum production results for the free-range housing environments, and the poorest performance in enrichable colony cages.

This study evaluates the effect of housing environment on the egg quality characteristics of brown egg layers as many different environments are currently used in the industry. Battery cages, barren colony cages, enriched colony cages, cage-free, and free-range environments were evaluated. Overall, all egg quality measurements were affected by housing environment (p < 0.01) except for vitelline membrane strength, elasticity, and egg solids. Eggshells and yolks were lightest in barren colony cages and darkest from free-range hens (p < 0.0001). Free-range eggs were heavier than eggs from all other environments (p < 0.0001). Cage-free eggs had lower albumen height and Haugh units than other environments (p < 0.0001). Lastly, cage-free and free-range eggs had stronger eggshells than the other environments (p < 0.0001), and free-range eggs had more elastic eggshells than eggs from conventional battery cages and barren colony cages (p < 0.01). Access to the range seemed to give free-range hens different nutritional advantages, which allowed for the darker yolks and shells. Furthermore, eggs from barren colony cages seemed to exhibit more negative characteristics. Simply adding enrichments to colony cages did not improve or detract from egg quality. From this research, it appears that, as the industry moves toward extensive environments, the egg quality of brown egg layers will improve.

Peanuts and poultry production predominate within the southeast US. Hence, the objective of this study was to determine the dietary effects of unblanched (skin-intact) high-oleic peanuts (HOPNs) and peanut skins (PN skins) on layer performance, egg quality, and fatty acid profile. To meet these objectives, 200 hens were randomly assigned to four treatments, housed in floor pens, and fed ad libitum for 8 weeks a control, HOPN (24%), PN Skin (3%), or 2.5% oleic acid (OA) diet. All empirical data was statistically analyzed for variance at the p < 0.05 level. Hens fed the HOPN and PN Skin diets had heavier body weights relative to the controls at week 8 (p < 0.05). Layers fed the HOPN treatment had poor FCR and smaller egg weights with lower levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids relative to the controls (p < 0.05). Hens fed the PN Skin treatment had similar performance parameters, egg quality, and egg chemistry relative to the controls over the 8-week study. These results imply that PN skins may be an acceptable poultry feed additive without adverse effects on performance, egg quality, or egg lipid chemistry. Also, these results demonstrate the potential value-added utilization of PN skins, a waste by-product of the peanut industry, as a layer feed ingredient.

This study identified and evaluated differences between microbiome compositions of the ileum and ceca of 1940 and 2016 white leghorn genetic strains fed representative contemporary diets from those times. Ileal and cecal samples were collected at 69 weeks of age. Alpha and beta diversity metrics were generated, and the Analysis of Composition of Microbiomes (ANCOM) was utilized to determine significantly different taxa. Ileum and ceca alpha diversity were significantly different (p = 0.001; Q = 0.001); however, no differences between genetic lineage were observed (p > 0.05; Q > 0.05). Beta diversity between the ileum and ceca and the genetic lines was significantly different (p = 0.001; Q = 0.001). The ANCOM of the ileum showed significant differences between Proteobacteria and Actinobacteriota phyla (p ˂ 0.05) and significant differences between Pseudomonas, Rhizobiaceae, Leuconostoc, and Aeriscardovia genera (p ˂ 0.05). For ceca ANCOM, Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteriota, and Euryarchaeota phyla were significantly different (p ˂ 0.05), with Firmicutes having the highest relative abundance across all groups, and there were significant differences in genera Pseudomonas, Leuconostoc, Alloprevotella, and Aeri scardovia, with Alloprevotella having the highest relative abundance. The results suggest that genetic makeup in conjunction with the nutritional composition influences the cecal and ileal microbiota of corresponding hens.

We investigated the dietary effects of high-oleic peanuts (HOPN) or oleic fatty acids (OA) on older production hen performance, egg mass and quality, and lipid composition. A total of 99 laying hens were divided between three treatments and fed ad libitum for 8 weeks: (1) Conventional diet; (2) HOPN diet; (3) OA diet. Body weight (BW) was measured at weeks 1 and 8, and feed, egg weights (EW), and egg quality parameters were collected. Data was analyzed by analysis of variance at p < 0.05 significance level. There were no treatment differences in 8 week BW, feed conversion ratio, or average weekly egg quality parameters. The 8 week average EW of eggs from the HOPN group had reduced EW relative to the other treatment groups (p = 0.0004). The 8-week average yolk color score (p < 0.0001) was greater in eggs from the HOPN group relative to the other treatments. Overall, the β-carotene (p < 0.006) and OA content (p < 0.0001) was greater in eggs from the HOPN group, with reduced saturated fats in eggs from the HOPN group relative to the other treatments. These results suggest that HOPN and/or OA may be a useful layer feed ingredient to enrich eggs, while significantly reducing egg size in older production hens.

The abundance of peanut and poultry production within the state of North Carolina and the US Southeast, led us to conduct a layer feeding trial to determine the utilization of whole-in-shell high-oleic peanuts (WPN) and/or unblanched high-oleic peanuts (HOPN) as an alternative feed ingredient for poultry. To meet this objective, we randomly assigned 576 shaver hens to 4 dietary treatments (4 rep/trt). The dietary treatments consisted of a conventional control diet (C1), a diet containing 4% WPN, an 8% HOPN diet, and a control diet containing soy protein isolate (C2). Feed and water were provided for 6 weeks ad libitum. Pen body weights (BW) were recorded at week 0 and week 6 (wk6), and feed weights were recorded bi-weekly. Shell eggs were collected daily and enumerated. Bi-weekly 120 eggs/treatment were collected for quality assessment and egg weight (EW), while 16 eggs/treatment were collected for chemical analysis. There were no significant differences in BW or EW at week 6. Hens fed the C2 produced more total dozen eggs relative to C1 hens over the feeding trial (p < 0.05). Hens fed the C1 diet consumed less total feed relative to the other treatments with the best feed conversion ratio (p < 0.05). Most eggs produced from each treatment were USDA grade A, large eggs. There were no differences in egg quality, with the exception of yolk color, with significantly higher yolk color scores in eggs produced from the C1 and C2 treatments relative to the other treatments (p < 0.05). Eggs produced from the HOPN treatment had significantly reduced stearic and linoleic fatty acid levels relative to the other treatments (p < 0.05). Eggs produced from hens fed the WPN diet had significantly greater β-carotene content relative to eggs from the other treatment groups (p < 0.05). In summary, this study suggests that WPN and/or HOPN may be a suitable alternative layer feed ingredient and a dietary means to enrich the eggs produced while not adversely affecting hen performance.

Environmental testing for Salmonella Enteritidis is required for U.S. shell egg producers with ≥3,000 hens on a farm. The egg producer assumes all costs for the mandatory testing. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Egg Rule, either manure scraper or drag swabs can be collected according to published guidelines and requirements. The present study was undertaken to determine the efficacy of Salmonella detection with one-, two-, and four-swab pools of either manure scraper or drag swabs. Resistant isolates of Salmonella serovars Enteritidis (1,000 ppm of streptomycin), Heidelberg (200 ppm of nalidixic acid [NA]), Typhimurium (200 ppm of NA), and Kentucky (200 ppm of NA) were utilized. Low (approximately 8.4 CFU) and high (approximately 84 CFU) levels of inocula were introduced onto a single swab within a pool. Single flocks from each conventional cage (manure scraper swabs) and cage-free barn (drag swabs) were monitored throughout the study at the ages required under the FDA Egg Rule. The highest and most consistent recovery of inoculum was found in single swab samples. For low dose inocula, recovery of isolates was low from single manure scraper swabs (57.9 to 29.2%) and decreased as more swabs were added to the pool. Recovery of isolates from manure scraper swabs was higher for high dose inocula, although Salmonella Heidelberg was outcompeted by the naturally occurring flora and had the lowest rate of recovery among the isolates tested. One- and two-swab pools of drag swabs had similar rates of recovery at both low and high doses for Salmonella Enteritidis, Salmonella Heidelberg, and Salmonella Typhimurium. When Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Kentucky were combined in an inoculum, Salmonella Enteritidis was recovered at a much higher rate than was Salmonella Kentucky for all types of swabs and doses of inocula. Pooling of two drag swabs allowed for similar detection of low and high dose Salmonella, but the pooling of manure scraper swabs decreased detection of low dose Salmonella.

Eggs contaminated with Salmonella Enteritidis are leading sources of human salmonellosis, but Salmonella Heidelberg and Salmonella Typhimurium are also egg-associated pathogens. The management practices and housing facilities characterizing different systems for housing commercial egg flocks can influence Salmonella persistence and transmission. Animal welfare aspects of poultry housing have been widely debated, but their food safety ramifications are not thoroughly understood. The present study assessed the effects of two different bird stocking densities on the frequency and duration of fecal shedding of strains of Salmonella Heidelberg and Salmonella Typhimurium in groups of experimentally infected laying hens housed in colony cages enriched with perching and nesting areas. In separate trials, laying hens were distributed into two groups housed in enriched colony cages at stocking densities of 648 and 973 cm2/bird, and a third group was housed in conventional cages at 648 cm2/bird. All hens were orally inoculated with doses of 108 colony-forming units (CFU) of either Salmonella Heidelberg or Salmonella Typhimurium. At eight weekly postinoculation intervals, samples of voided feces were collected from beneath each cage and cultured to detect Salmonella. Fecal shedding of Salmonella Heidelberg continued for 8 wk in all housing groups, but Salmonella Typhimurium shedding ceased after as little as 5 wk in enriched colony cages at low stocking density. After Salmonella Heidelberg infection, the overall frequency of positive fecal cultures for all sampling dates combined was significantly (P < 0.05) greater from either conventional cages (51.0%) or enriched colony cages (46.5%) at high stocking density than from enriched colony cages at low stocking density (33.3%). No significant differences in Salmonella Typhimurium fecal isolation were identified between housing groups. These results demonstrate that stocking density can affect intestinal colonization and fecal shedding in laying hens for some (but not necessarily all) Salmonella serovars or strains.

This article features a panel discussion on sustainability risk management organized by Dan R Anderson for the American Risk and Insurance Association 2007 annual meeting. The moderator, Mr. Dan Anderson, is the Leslie P Schulz Professor of Risk Management and Insurance at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business and author of Corporate Survival: The Critical Importance of Sustainability Risk Management. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]

Abstract We aimed to determine the effects of feeding a high-oleic peanut (HOPN) diet to egg-producing laying hens on egg quality, digestibility, and feed conversion. Three isonitrogenous and isocaloric dietary treatments were formulated with 1) Control diet (CON)—a corn-soybean meal conventional diet with 7.8 % added poultry fat, 2) HOPN diet—dietary inclusion of ~20% coarse-ground whole HOPN, and 3) oleic acid (CON-OA) diet—a control diet supplemented with 2.6% oleic fatty acid oil. Ninety-nine 57-wk-old brown Leghorn laying hens were randomly assigned to 33 animals per treatment. Animals were housed individually for 8 wk. Body and feed weights were recorded weekly and feed conversation ratio was calculated. Bi-weekly, shell eggs were analyzed for quality (yolk color, albumen height, and Haugh unit [HU]). Jejunum samples were collected at week 8 for histomorphometric analysis. Analysis of variance was performed on all variables using a general linear mixed model. Laying hens fed the CON-OA diet produced greater number of eggs relative to those fed the HOPN and control diets (P < 0.05). The roche yolk color value was higher (P < 0.001) in eggs from hens fed the HOPN diet. There were no differences in laying hen performance, eggshell color, eggshell strength, eggshell elasticity and egg albumen height, or egg HU, ileal fat digestibility, or villi surface among treatment groups. However, the apparent metabolizable energy (P < 0.01) and ileal protein digestibility (P = 0.02) were greater in laying hens fed the HOPN diet relative to the CON diet. This study suggests that whole unblanched high-oleic peanuts may be an acceptable alternative feed ingredient for laying hens.