Effects of sprouted sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) diets fortified with exogenous enzymes on egg production in Red and White Amberlink layers

Abstract

The aim was to evaluate the effects on egg production of feeding raw versus sprouted sorghum (Sorghum bicolor)–soybean (Glycine max) oil cake diets fortified with exogenous enzymes to red and white Amberlink layers (16 w in production). Birds were stocked at three birds per cage in an open house. The 6-w experiment was conducted in a randomized 3 (diets) × 2 (enzymes) × 2 (strains) factorial design replicated six times. A commercial late lay product was the positive control for iso-nutrient, sprouted, and raw sorghum-based soybean test diets. Duplicates of all diets were fortified with 500 g/tonne of a multi-enzyme cocktail. Raw sorghum resulted in low feed intake. High laying rates were attained in red layers on the enzyme-fortified commercial diet, white Amberlink layers on the same diet without enzymes, and in both strains on the enzyme-fortified, sprouted sorghum diet. Raw sorghum without enzymes resulted in low laying rates across strains. The laying rate and feed conversion decreased: commercial feed >sprouted sorghum >raw sorghum. Enzymes reduced egg weight in red layers on the sprouted sorghum diet, with an opposite effect in white layers on the commercial diet. Compared to the standard diet, the sorghum diets reduced feed intake and egg production and increased the feed conversion ratio, with better relative egg output (95%) on the sprouted, compared to the raw (85%), sorghum diet. Treatment interactions on the laying rate (strain × diet × enzyme), and egg size (strain × enzyme) suggest that the potency of exogenous enzymes depends on the layer strain and diet.