Effect of induced molting on the performance of Lohmann Brown laying hens

Abstract

The feed withdrawal method is the most popular and effective method of molt induction and was used in this study. The objective of this study was to compare the production performance of a batch of commercial Lohmann Brown laying hens, batch "MUL" with a reference batch of the Lohmann Brown strain, batch "REF". For this study, 120,000 cage-reared Lohmann Brown laying hens were monitored. Monitoring of zootechnical performance began from the beginning of the laying cycle, at 18 weeks of age, up to 92 weeks of age. From week 69 after molt induction, hens in the "MUL" batch reached a peak laying of 89.0% compared to 79.2% in the "REF" batch at the same week of age. The cumulative number of eggs produced at the end of the cycle, at 92 weeks of age, by the "MOLTING" flock was significantly higher than that of the "REF" flock. Indeed, a positive difference of 191,544 eggs in favor of the "MOLTING" flock was observed. Throughout the hen's cycle, the average egg weight of the "REF" flock was greater than that of the "MOLTING" flock. After the "MOLTING" flock's feed restriction, the hens' weight decreased by 487 g, or 24.0% of their pre-molting weight.

Keywords: Molting, laying hen, Lohmann Brown, eggs