Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Evaluation of nonfeed removal methods for molting programs.

P E Biggs1, M W Douglas, K W Koelkebeck

  • 1Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA.

Poultry Science
|May 24, 2003
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Effect of various limestone sources, solubility, and inclusion of phytase on apparent ileal digestibility of calcium and phosphorus in broiler chickens.

Poultry science·2026
Same author

True metabolizable energy, standardized amino acid digestibility, phosphorus digestibility, and phosphorus bioavailability of fermented soybean meal and fermented full-fat soybeans fed to chickens.

Poultry science·2025
Same author

Nutritional composition, nitrogen-corrected true metabolizable energy, and standardized amino acid digestibility of palm kernel meal from several countries.

Poultry science·2024
Same author

True metabolizable energy, standardized amino acid digestibility, and digestibility of phosphorus in soybean expellers produced from conventional or high-oil varieties of soybeans fed to chickens.

Poultry science·2024
Same author

Determination of calcium digestibility and bioavailability in 5 limestone sources using commercial broiler and crossbred chickens.

Poultry science·2024
Same author

Ileal phosphorus digestibility of soybean meal for broiler chickens remains consistent across institutions in a collaborative study regardless of non-phytate phosphorus concentration in the pre-experimental starter diet.

Poultry science·2024

Wheat middlings and 10-day feed removal effectively induced molting in hens, leading to improved postmolt egg production. High corn or wheat middlings diets are viable non-feed removal molting strategies.

Area of Science:

  • Animal Science
  • Poultry Science
  • Avian Nutrition

Background:

  • Molting is a natural process for commercial layers to restore egg production.
  • Traditional molting methods often involve feed or water withdrawal, which can be stressful.
  • Alternative molting strategies are sought to improve hen welfare and production efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy of high corn or wheat middlings diets as non-feed removal molting methods.
  • To compare the effects of feed removal duration (4 vs. 10 days) with dietary molting strategies.
  • To assess the impact of different molting treatments on subsequent egg production and hen performance.

Main Methods:

  • 336 White Leghorn hens were assigned to four treatments: feed removal (4 or 10 days) or ad libitum access to 95% corn or 95% wheat middlings molt diets.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Post-molt feeding protocols varied based on the initial treatment.
  • All hens were subsequently fed a standard layer diet for 40 weeks to evaluate postmolt performance.

    • Main Results:

    • Both feed removal and wheat middlings treatments completely halted egg production within 8 days.
    • Hens fed the corn molt diet showed a significant decrease in egg production by day 28.
    • Wheat middlings and 10-day feed removal treatments resulted in higher postmolt egg production and egg mass compared to corn or 4-day feed removal.

    Conclusions:

    • Diets high in corn or wheat middlings, especially wheat middlings, are effective non-feed removal methods for inducing molting in hens.
    • Wheat middlings diets offer a promising alternative to feed withdrawal for molting, with comparable or improved postmolt production.
    • These findings support the use of specific dietary strategies for efficient and welfare-conscious hen molting.