›› 2014, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (11): 124-128.

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Effect of Housing Range Model with Perches on Production Performance, Egg Quality and Immune Function of Layer Hens

XI Lei1, WANG Yong-fen1, CHANG Jie2, LI Peng-fei3   

  1. 1. Henan University of Animal Husbandry and Economy, Zhengzhou 450011, China;
    2. Henan Bureau of Animal Husbandry, Zhengzhou 450011, China;
    3. Henan Province Livestock Improvement Station, Zhengzhou 450002, China
  • Received:2014-04-16 Online:2014-11-20 Published:2014-12-06

Abstract: In order to investigate the effect of layer housing range model with perches on production performance,egg quality and immune function of laying hens,basing on the layer's biological characteristics and behavior habits,the study initially constructed a feeding model which consists of perches,bottom web,feeding,drinking,and laying nest.The results showed that compared with control group,the age of producing first egg of the perches model could be delayed by 3 weeks and the feed-egg ratio of laying period reduced by 9.05%.At the meantime,the average egg weight and laying rate were increased by 2.62% and 3.45%,respectively. The protein height,hunt unit and egg shape index of experiment group were significantly higher than that of control group (P<0.05),higher above 24.13%,8.03% and 6.35%,respectively.The indexes of thymus,spleen,bursa and the antibody titer of Newcastle were increased by 5.44%,3.48%,6.57% and 16.74% of experiment group than that of control group,respectively.In conclusion, the housing range model with perches could not only reduce the feed-egg ratio but also improve the egg quality and immune function of laying hens.

Key words: perches; layer hens; production performance; egg quality; immune function

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