BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF INSOLUBLE RAW FIBER CONCENTRATE ADDITION TO LAYER DIET

Abstract

Philipp J Vet Anim Sci 2013, 39 (1): 43-52

A total of 144 Dekalb layers (19 weeks of age) were used to determine the effects of insoluble raw fiber concentrate (IRFC) addition to layer diet on production performance, egg quality, segments of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and economic parameters. The layers were randomly assigned to standard layer diet (SLD) and SLD + 0.80% IRFC. Each diet had six replications with 12 layers per replication. Results of the study showed that feeding diet with IRFC significantly (P<0.05) increased egg production by 3.43%, which was related to better efficiency of feed utilization (P<0.05). Feeding diet with IRFC did not influence egg quality parameters and size and weight of the GIT. The net benefit analysis showed an advantage of PhP 9.72 per layer (for 16 weeks) fed diet with IRFC compared with those fed without IRFC. The findings show that IRFC is a potential feed additive for layers’ diet.