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The Effect of Dietary Protein Level and Total Sulfur Amino Acid:Lysine Ratio on Egg Production Parameters and Egg Yield in Hy-Line W-98 Hens¹

C. Novak, H. M. Yakout and S. E. Scheideler^*,2

^* Department of Animal Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln 68583; Department of Animal and Poultry Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg 24061; and Poultry Production Department, Alexandria University, El-Shatby 21656, Alexandria, Egypt

² Corresponding author: sscheideler1{at}unl.edu

A 3 x 3 treatment arrangement varying in dietary protein and TSAA:Lys was used to evaluate the effect of low-protein diets fed to Hy-Line W-98 laying hens. Phase I was 20 to 43 wk of age with 18.9, 17.0, and 14.4 g of protein/hen per day and 0.97, 0.85, and 0.82 TSAA:Lys, whereas phase II was 44 to 63 wk of age with 16.3, 14.6, and 13.8 g of protein/hen per day and 0.92, 0.82, and 0.72 TSAA:Lys. Egg production and feed consumption decreased from 83.7 to 82.2% and 98.8 to 95.6 g, respectively. Feed efficiency improved from 1.680 to 1.645 g of feed/g of egg mass with decreasing dietary protein. Body weight gain was similar for hens fed high or medium protein diets. In phase II, hens consuming 13.8 g of protein/day had significantly reduced egg weight compared with hens consuming 14.6 or 16.3 g of protein/day. Wet and dry albumen percentage, albumen solids, and albumen and yolk protein percentages were significantly decreased with feeding low-protein diets. Yolk protein percentage was increased from 14.85 to 15.11% when decreasing the ratio from 0.97 to 0.82. Hens consuming a low-protein diet produced eggs with the lowest specific gravity. An interaction was observed for protein retention during phase I, feeding 14.4 g of protein/day or a ratio of 0.97 improved protein retention by 9 and 16%, respectively. Overall, hens consuming 16.3 or 14.6 g of protein/hen per day performed similar to hens consuming 18.9 and 17.0 g of protein/hen per day during P1 and P2, respectively. Also, hens consuming diets containing 0.97 and 0.92 TSAA:Lys produced eggs with improved shell quality as compared with other ratios during P1 and P2, respectively.

Key Words: protein • ratio • egg mass • albumen and yolk protein • protein digestibility

¹ Published with the approval of the director as page number 15204, Journal Series, Nebraska Agricultural Research Division.

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