Production Performance of Single Comb White Leghorn Chickens Fed Growing Diets Containing Blood Meal and Supplemental Isoleucine

Laying performance of Single Comb White Leghorn (SCWL) chicks fed diets containing blood meal supplemented with isoleucine from hatch to ten weeks of age (WOA) was evaluated. In 4 replicates, 480 SCWL chicks were fed corn-based diets whose protein sources were 100% soybean meal (control), 100% blood meal (BM), 50% soybean meal+ 50% blood meal (SMBM), and 50% alfalfa meal + 50% blood meal (AMBM). These diets contained 2,900kcal metabolizable energy (ME) per kg and 20% crude protein (CP). Blood meal comprised 16.8, 11.0 and 14.3% of the dietary composition in BM, SMBM, and AMBM diets, respectively. At 11-14, 15-18 and 19-46 WOA birds in all treatment groups were fed corn-soy based diets containing 3,000, 3,080 and 2,900kcal ME/kg and 17.5, 16.5, and 17% CP, respectively. The birds were provided a 23, 8, and 16 hr light regimen at 0-10, 11-14, and 15-46 WOA, respectively. Feed and water were provided at free choice and mortality was recorded as it occurred. At first egg, birds were observed for age, body weight and egg weight. Thereafter hen-day egg production, egg weight, egg mass, egg grade, internal egg quality and egg shell thickness were measured over five 28-day laying periods. Birds fed BM diets had 6.08, 5.24 and 2.63% higher (P< 0.05) hen-day egg production than those fed the control, AMBM, and SMBM diets, respectively. Mean egg mass of BM fed birds was 5.65, 5.49 and 2.34% higher than that of the control, AMBM, and SMBM birds, respectively. Therefore, feeding diets containing blood meal and supplemented with isoleucine to SCWL chicks at 0-10 WOA significantly improved their subsequent egg production performance, but depressed their internal egg quality and egg shell thickness.