Animal Bioscience

Asian Australasian Association of Animal Production Societies (아세아태평양축산학회)
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Effect of body weight at photostimulation on productive performance and welfare aspects of commercial layers

  • Fazal Raziq (Department of Poultry Production, Faculty of Animal Production and Technology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences) ;
  • Jibran Hussain (Department of Poultry Production, Faculty of Animal Production and Technology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences) ;
  • Sohail Ahmad (Department of Poultry Production, Faculty of Animal Production and Technology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences) ;
  • Muhammad Asif Hussain (College of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences, Abdul Wali khan University) ;
  • Muhammad Tahir Khan (Department of Poultry Science, Faculty of Animal Production and Technology, Cholistan University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences) ;
  • Assad Ullah (Civil Veterinary Hospital Gumbat) ;
  • Muhammad Qumar (Department of Animal Nutrition, Faculty of Animal Production and Technology, Cholistan University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences) ;
  • Fazal Wadood (Department of Theriogenology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Cholistan University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences) ;
  • Gull-e-Faran (Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Biochemistry, Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur)
  • Received : 2022.09.17
  • Accepted : 2023.02.01
  • Published : 2024.03.01
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Abstract

Objective: Due to current selection practices for increased egg production and peak persistency, the production profile, age at maturity, and body weight criteria for commercial layers are constantly changing. Body weight and age at the time of photostimulation will thus always be the factors that need to be adequately addressed among various production systems. The current study was carried out to determine the effects of pullets' body weight (low, medium, and heavy) on their performance, welfare, physiological response, and hormonal profile. Methods: With regard to live weight, 150 16-week-old pullets were divided into three groups using a completely randomized design (CRD) and held until the 50th week. One-way analysis of variance was used to evaluate the data under the CRD, and the least significant difference test was used to distinguish between treatment means. Results: In comparison to the medium and light birds, the heavy birds had higher body weight at maturity, an earlier age at maturity, and higher egg weight, eggshell weight, eggshell thickness, egg yolk index, breaking strength, egg surface area, egg shape index, egg volume, and hormonal profile except corticosterone. However, the medium and light birds had lower feed consumption rates per dozen eggs and per kilogram of egg mass than the heavy birds. Light birds showed greater body weight gain, egg production, and egg specific gravity than the other categories. At 20 weeks of age, physiological response, welfare aspects, and catalase were non-significant; however, at 50 weeks of age, all these factors-aside from catalase-were extremely significant. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that layers can function at lower body weights during photostimulation; hence, dietary regimens that result in lighter pullets may be preferable. Additionally, the welfare of the birds was not compromised by the lighter weight group.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

All the authors would like to acknowledgement faculty members of Poultry Production Department, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore- Pakistan for providing support necessary for this study.

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