Thursday, 21 June 2018 07:45

Which Factors Affect Size of Eggs in Chicken Feed?

Studies have shown that within a certain range, the content of some trace components in eggs is significantly affected by chicken feed. The content of nutrients varies, which affects the quality and size of the eggs.

Protein and amino acid levels in feed, protein intake is the main nutritional factor that affects egg size. Adjusting the protein level of the diet can change the size of the egg. Each one increase or decrease in dietary protein levels, such as from 16% to 17% or 15%, can increase or decrease the weight of the egg by approximately 1.2 grams. In practice, it is best not to increase or decrease the protein by more than 1 percentage point each time. Amino acid nutrition is the essence of protein nutrition.

The effect of dietary energy levels on egg weight is mainly through feed intake. If the daily energy intake of layer hens is lower than the lower limit of the above values, the egg production and egg weight will be affected, and thus affect the protein's Food intake (or protein savings) allows hens to have higher protein levels for maintenance, egg production and increased egg weight.

Essential fatty acids play an important role in the factors that affect egg weight. Linoleic acid is involved in fat metabolism, so it affects the size of the egg through its effect on the yolk.