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- Title
Effect of Dietary Supplemental Zinc on Laying Performance, Egg Quality, and Plasma Hormone Levels of Breeding Pigeons.
- Authors
Shao, Yuxin; Li, Xing; Du, Shaohua; Sun, Xiaoshan; Wang, Yangyang; Zhao, Dongdong; Wang, Zheng
- Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the dietary zinc requirement of parental pigeons for better laying and reproductive performance, egg quality, sex hormones, and mineral content in eggs. A total of 160 pairs of healthy American Silver King pigeons were randomly assigned to five treatments of eight replicate cages each with four pairs of birds per cage, and fed a basal diet without zinc supplementation or the basal diet supplemented with 30, 60, 90, and 120 mg of zinc/kg (ZnSO4·7H2O). The experiment lasted for 45 days, including two laying cycles. Results indicated the egg production rate (P = 0.081), egg shape index (P = 0.038), egg eggshell percentage (P = 0.070), and zinc and calcium contents (P < 0.01) tended to be affected or significantly affected by zinc addition. They increased quadratically with dietary zinc levels (P < 0.05). Besides, shell thickness (P = 0.069), plasma testosterone (P = 0.008), LH, and carbonic anhydrase contents (P < 0.05) tended to be affected or significantly affected by zinc addition. They increased linearly as dietary zinc level increased (P < 0.05). Compared with the control, 60 mg/kg zinc addition increased egg production rate, egg shape index, zinc and calcium contents in eggshell, and plasma testosterone concentration in pigeons (P < 0.05), and tended to increase the eggshell percentage (P = 0.07). Besides, supplemental 120 mg/kg zinc had higher shell thickness and LH content than control (P < 0.05), but had no difference with 60 mg/kg zinc addition. In conclusion, the supplementation of zinc at the level of 60 mg/kg to basal diet improved laying performance by increasing eggshell quality and sex hormone levels of breeding pigeons.
- Subjects
EGG quality; EGGSHELLS; ZINC; ZINC supplements; PIGEONS; YELLOWTAIL; CARBONIC anhydrase
- Publication
Biological Trace Element Research, 2023, Vol 201, Issue 6, p2991
- ISSN
0163-4984
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s12011-022-03402-4