Manifestation of the genetic potential of laying hens under heat stress

Abstract

Aim. Study of the effectiveness of the use of the feed additive "Mega HenOn" in the training of chickens of an industrial herd of the cross "Highsex brown" under heat stress. Materials and Methods. Evaluation of the efficiency was carried out for 32 weeks on industrial chickens in the amount of 70 heads. During the experiment, the egg production of chickens (daily), feed costs, and the category of eggs were taken into account. To determine the quality characteristics of edible eggs, GOST 31654-2012 “Edible hen eggs. Technical conditions". Results. The studied additive had a positive effect on the egg productivity of chickens, both during heat stress and during normalization of the temperature regime. At the age of 47-50 weeks (June-July, the ambient temperature during the daytime increased to 38-40°C), egg production dropped sharply, and in the control group it was 79.03%, and in the experimental group, despite the decrease, it exceeded this indicator by 3.63%. At the age of 51-58 weeks (July-August, the increase increased to 36°C), the decrease in egg production continued, but in comparison with the previous period, there was a certain trend towards recovery, which amounted to 85.51%, exceeding the control by 2.22%. The studied feed additive, to some extent, neutralized the negative effect of heat stress on the body of birds. In general, over the period of the experiment, the egg-laying intensity in the experimental group was 89.1%, and in the control group - 87.09%. The cost of producing 10 eggs in the experimental group is 1.29 kg, which is 0.07 kg less than in the control group. The yield of eggs of the category "superior" and "selected" in the experimental group exceeded the control by 0.53 and 16.89%. The yield of eggs of the II category turned out to be higher in the control group and amounted to 29.56%, which is higher than in the experimental group by 13.73%. Conclusion. The use of the innovative “Mega HenOn” feed additive, in the diets of chickens during the heat stress period, contributed to a more complete realization of the genetic potential of birds, due to the stabilization of metabolic processes in the body of birds, an increase in egg production, a decrease in the yield of culling eggs and, as a consequence, an increase in the level of profitability by 2.38%.