Split feeding for laying hens: a step beyond precision nutrition
The primary objective of modern laying hen production is to extend the production cycle to achieve an average of 500 eggs in 100 weeks, which requires research to improve eggshell quality. The eggshell plays a crucial role in mechanical protection and provides a suitable environment for embryonic de...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Poultry Science |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032579125004006 |
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| author | Carlos Henrique do Nascimento Adiel Vieira de Lima Paloma Eduarda Lopes de Souza Djalma Fernandes de Souza Filho Raiane dos Santos Silva Aline Beatriz Rodrigues Raul da Cunha Lima Neto Matheus Ramalho de Lima Ricardo Romão Guerra Apolônio Gomes Ribeiro Lucas Rannier Ribeiro Antonino Carvalho Fernando Guilherme Perazzo Costa |
| author_facet | Carlos Henrique do Nascimento Adiel Vieira de Lima Paloma Eduarda Lopes de Souza Djalma Fernandes de Souza Filho Raiane dos Santos Silva Aline Beatriz Rodrigues Raul da Cunha Lima Neto Matheus Ramalho de Lima Ricardo Romão Guerra Apolônio Gomes Ribeiro Lucas Rannier Ribeiro Antonino Carvalho Fernando Guilherme Perazzo Costa |
| author_sort | Carlos Henrique do Nascimento |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The primary objective of modern laying hen production is to extend the production cycle to achieve an average of 500 eggs in 100 weeks, which requires research to improve eggshell quality. The eggshell plays a crucial role in mechanical protection and provides a suitable environment for embryonic development. Composed mainly of calcium carbonate and other minerals, calcium (Ca) is essential in the diet for eggshell formation and is incorporated into the diet of laying hens. However, hens have a cyclic reproductive physiology, which leads to varying nutrient requirements throughout the day. In the morning, higher levels of dietary protein and energy are needed to support yolk and albumen formation, while in the afternoon and evening, increased calcium intake is crucial for eggshell and membrane development. Traditional feeding systems, which provide a single diet throughout the day, may result in nutrient imbalances, leading to excess calcium intake in the morning and an oversupply of protein and energy in the afternoon. To address this issue, the split feeding strategy has been proposed. This approach involves offering a high-protein, high-energy, low-calcium diet in the morning, followed by a low-protein, low-energy, high-calcium diet in the afternoon or evening. By aligning nutrient supply with the hen's metabolic needs, split feeding optimizes nutrient utilization, improves feed efficiency, and enhances eggshell quality while reducing unnecessary nutrient excretion. Given the growing interest in optimizing layer nutrition and improving production efficiency, this study presents a comprehensive review of existing data on split feeding strategies, highlighting their impact on nutrient utilization, eggshell quality, and overall laying performance. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9ff2c438d4b746018672456bdee7d1ff |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 0032-5791 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Poultry Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-9ff2c438d4b746018672456bdee7d1ff2025-08-20T03:21:32ZengElsevierPoultry Science0032-57912025-07-01104710515810.1016/j.psj.2025.105158Split feeding for laying hens: a step beyond precision nutritionCarlos Henrique do Nascimento0Adiel Vieira de Lima1Paloma Eduarda Lopes de Souza2Djalma Fernandes de Souza Filho3Raiane dos Santos Silva4Aline Beatriz Rodrigues5Raul da Cunha Lima Neto6Matheus Ramalho de Lima7Ricardo Romão Guerra8Apolônio Gomes Ribeiro9Lucas Rannier Ribeiro Antonino Carvalho10Fernando Guilherme Perazzo Costa11Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Animal Science Department, Areia-PB, BrazilUniversidade Federal da Paraíba, Animal Science Department, Areia-PB, BrazilUniversidade Federal da Paraíba, Animal Science Department, Areia-PB, BrazilUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Animal Science Departament, Unidade Acadêmica Especializada em Ciências Agrarias, Macaíba - RN, BrazilUniversidade Federal da Paraíba, Animal Science Department, Areia-PB, BrazilUniversidade Federal da Paraíba, Animal Science Department, Areia-PB, BrazilUniversidade Federal do Oeste do Pará – Instituto de Biodiversidade e Floresta, Santarém - PA, BrazilUniversidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido, Animal Science Department, Mossoró - RN, BrazilUniversidade Federal da Paraíba, Animal Science Department, Areia-PB, BrazilUniversidade Federal da Paraíba, Animal Science Department, Areia-PB, BrazilDepartment of Physiology and Pharmacology Karolinska Institutet - Stockholm Sweden Biomedicum, 5B, Solnavägen 9 S-171 77, Stockholm, Sweden; Corresponding author.Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Animal Science Department, Areia-PB, BrazilThe primary objective of modern laying hen production is to extend the production cycle to achieve an average of 500 eggs in 100 weeks, which requires research to improve eggshell quality. The eggshell plays a crucial role in mechanical protection and provides a suitable environment for embryonic development. Composed mainly of calcium carbonate and other minerals, calcium (Ca) is essential in the diet for eggshell formation and is incorporated into the diet of laying hens. However, hens have a cyclic reproductive physiology, which leads to varying nutrient requirements throughout the day. In the morning, higher levels of dietary protein and energy are needed to support yolk and albumen formation, while in the afternoon and evening, increased calcium intake is crucial for eggshell and membrane development. Traditional feeding systems, which provide a single diet throughout the day, may result in nutrient imbalances, leading to excess calcium intake in the morning and an oversupply of protein and energy in the afternoon. To address this issue, the split feeding strategy has been proposed. This approach involves offering a high-protein, high-energy, low-calcium diet in the morning, followed by a low-protein, low-energy, high-calcium diet in the afternoon or evening. By aligning nutrient supply with the hen's metabolic needs, split feeding optimizes nutrient utilization, improves feed efficiency, and enhances eggshell quality while reducing unnecessary nutrient excretion. Given the growing interest in optimizing layer nutrition and improving production efficiency, this study presents a comprehensive review of existing data on split feeding strategies, highlighting their impact on nutrient utilization, eggshell quality, and overall laying performance.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032579125004006Calcium carbonateEgg qualityFeeding BehaviorFeeding managementPhysiological Needs |
| spellingShingle | Carlos Henrique do Nascimento Adiel Vieira de Lima Paloma Eduarda Lopes de Souza Djalma Fernandes de Souza Filho Raiane dos Santos Silva Aline Beatriz Rodrigues Raul da Cunha Lima Neto Matheus Ramalho de Lima Ricardo Romão Guerra Apolônio Gomes Ribeiro Lucas Rannier Ribeiro Antonino Carvalho Fernando Guilherme Perazzo Costa Split feeding for laying hens: a step beyond precision nutrition Poultry Science Calcium carbonate Egg quality Feeding Behavior Feeding management Physiological Needs |
| title | Split feeding for laying hens: a step beyond precision nutrition |
| title_full | Split feeding for laying hens: a step beyond precision nutrition |
| title_fullStr | Split feeding for laying hens: a step beyond precision nutrition |
| title_full_unstemmed | Split feeding for laying hens: a step beyond precision nutrition |
| title_short | Split feeding for laying hens: a step beyond precision nutrition |
| title_sort | split feeding for laying hens a step beyond precision nutrition |
| topic | Calcium carbonate Egg quality Feeding Behavior Feeding management Physiological Needs |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032579125004006 |
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