Alterations in Lipid Metabolism between the Growing and the Laying Periods of White Leghorn Layers

This study compared the lipid metabolism of white Leghorn layers between the growing and the laying periods. The study was conducted on thirty layers in the growing period (14 weeks old) and in the initial laying period (36 weeks old; 14 weeks from the onset of laying). Results indicated that all plasma lipid traits were significantly different (p<0.05) between the two periods. The estrogen concentration in the laying period was about 3 fold that in the growing period. Triacylglycerol (TG) concentration in the laying period was about 12 fold that in the growing period. The phospholipids, cholesterol, glycerol and non esterified fatty acid (NEFA) in the laying period were also higher than those in the growing period (p<0.05). Lipogenic enzyme activities in the laying period were higher than in the growing period (p<0.05). High-density lipoprotein (HDL) was the largest lipoprotein portion in growing layers. In laying hens, the major lipoprotein portion was very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL). It was also shown that protein is the primary component of HDL and TG is the largest portion of VLDL in both periods. In laying hens, VLDL contained more TG than that in growing layers (p<0.05). The VLDL particle size in laying hens was larger than that in growing layers (p<0.05). This study indicates that the lipid metabolism traits of a layer in the laying period were different from those in the growing period. The lipogenesis related traits in the laying period were markedly greater than in the growing period.