Effects of using the commercial acidifier Acichick (Chitika) on production performance and quantitative egg traits in laying hens of the High Line W80 strain

Abstract

In order to investigate the effects of using the acidifier Acetic Chitika, an experiment was designed in which 5 levels (0, 0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2 g/kg) of acidifier were used in 5 replicates and 18 laying hens per replicate, totaling 450 laying hens of the W80 High Line strain, aged 34 weeks. The experiment was conducted in two four-week periods (34-37 and 38-41). . The feed intake in the first and second production periods was significantly reduced in the groups receiving 1, 1.5 and 2 g/kg of acidifier, and the highest amount of feed intake was in the control group. The highest percentage of egg production was in the groups receiving 1, 1.5 and 2 g/kg of acidifier, which were significantly different from the control group. The weight of the produced eggs was not affected by the experimental treatments. The grams of eggs produced per day during the first and second periods in the groups receiving 1, 1.5 and 2 g/kg were significantly higher than in the control group. The lowest feed conversion ratio was in the group receiving 2 g/kg of acidifier and the highest was in the control group, which was a significant difference. The use of 1, 1.5 and 2 g/kg of acidifier Acetic Chitica increased the shell thickness compared to the control group and the group receiving 0.5 g/kg of acidifier, which was a significant difference. . According to the data obtained from this study, it can be concluded that the use of 1 g/kg of acidifier Acetic Chitica has shown the best performance considering the economic conditions.

Introduction

The increasing public concern about the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains has led to the use of alternative growth promoters to antibiotics (20, 4). Among such alternatives, one of the notable priorities is acidifiers, especially in the swine and poultry sectors. The potential of acidifiers in the animal feed industry has been recognized for decades due to their preservative and nutritional properties (13, 18). Organic acids, which are commonly used to acidify feed, are part of the nature of some feeds. Since they have defensive effects against bacteria, fungi or molds, they are used as a preventive measure in feed to combat pathogens in the feed industry (5). Functional and health-promoting effects have been identified for a number of organic acids, such as fumaric, formic, lactic and citric acids and their salts (20). In addition to their effects on pathogen elimination, their role in feed digestion, nutrient digestibility, health-promoting effects and performance have also been elucidated in numerous studies (10). Therefore, acidifiers in poultry nutrition are a cost-effective option for increasing performance and exert their effects through the health, gut, and metabolism of the animals (9, 16). With the above advantages, there are still some concerns about their palatability, site of action, and neutralization, which all force scientists to develop alternative ways to use them as a feed additive for antibiotic-free growth. One of the problems in breeding laying hens at peak production is the reduction of eggshell thickness and the metabolic stress on the animal’s bones, which can lead to a decrease in eggshell thickness with increasing age, which causes great economic losses (15). Acidifiers can greatly help in this regard by increasing the digestibility of minerals. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the effects of using the commercial acidifier Acichick from Chitika on production performance and quantitative egg traits in laying hens.

Materials and Methods

This experiment was conducted in the winter of 1401 in a laying hen hall located at km 25 of Mashhad-Quchan road. This research was conducted in a completely randomized design with 5 treatments (control, and 0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2 g/kg of Acid Fire) and 5 replications and 18 birds per replication, which was conducted on a total of 450 laying hens of the High Line W80 strain with an age of 32 weeks at peak production. The experimental period included a two-week period of equalization and record-keeping to equalize the treatments and two 28-day periods from weeks 34-37 and 38-41. The Acid Fire used in this experiment was obtained from Chitika Company under the brand name Acichick, which contained three acids: acetic, citric and ascorbic. The experimental diets were prepared as flour and the chickens had free access to water and feed throughout the experiment. Experimental diets were adjusted based on the requirements of the High-Line Chicken Guide (2018) and with the composition of the NRC1994 tables.

The feed intake of each replicate for two 28-day periods was obtained from the difference between the feed added in the entire 28-day period and the amount of feed remaining in the feeder at the end of each period. Egg production was recorded every day at 5:00 PM, and the number of eggs produced by each experimental unit was first recorded and then weighed using a digital scale with an accuracy of one gram and recorded. The percentage of egg production and grams of egg produced at the end of each 28-day period were calculated after allowing for losses. The grams of egg produced daily were calculated using the descriptive formula of Novak et al. (10). The feed conversion ratio was calculated by dividing the kilogram of feed consumed during the period by the kilogram of egg produced.

In order to measure the quantitative traits of eggs, at the end of each 28-day period, 3 eggs were randomly sampled from each replicate and after weighing and numbering, they were broken and separated into yolk and white to measure the percentage of shell, egg white and egg yolk. The respective percentages were calculated relative to the total egg weight. In order to calculate the thickness of the egg shell, three parts of the shell of the sampled eggs were measured using a digital caliper with an accuracy of 0.001 mm (mm digital micrometer, Mitutoyo Co, Mitutoyo Co, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan 0.001).

The collected data were first arranged in Excel software and then analyzed in a completely randomized design using SAS 1.9 software and the means obtained were compared using Duncan’s multiple range test.

Results and Discussion

Table 1 reports the effects of experimental treatments on performance traits (feed intake, production percentage, egg weight, grams of eggs produced per day and feed conversion ratio) in two periods (34 to 37 weeks and 38 to 41 weeks). Experimental treatments had a significant effect on performance traits. Feed intake in the first and second periods of production was significantly reduced in the groups receiving 1, 1.5 and 2 g/kg of acidifier, and the highest amount of feed consumed was in the control group. The highest percentage of egg production was in the groups receiving 1, 1.5 and 2 g/kg of acidifier, which were significantly different from the control group. Egg weight produced was not affected by the experimental treatments. The grams of eggs produced per day during the first and second periods in the groups receiving 1, 1.5 and 2 g/kg were significantly higher than in the control group. The lowest feed conversion ratio was in the group receiving 2 g/kg of acidifier and the highest was in the control group, which was a significant difference. Organic acids have been accepted as a suitable alternative to improve the digestibility of nutrients in the poultry industry. The multifunctional role of organic acids, including reducing gastric pH, stimulating pancreatic secretions, affecting mucosal morphology, and assisting as substrates in intermediate metabolism, all lead to improved digestion and absorption (13). The results of this study are in accordance with Warsito et al. 2019 (18) who stated that the administration of citric acid in appropriate amounts can reduce the intestinal pH in the digestive system and can increase enzyme activity to increase the absorption of nutrients in the feed. Increasing feed digestibility directly affects feed conversion ratio and feed intake. The effect of organic acids (a mixture of formic and propionic acids) on egg production was not observed in an experiment conducted with Lohmann laying hens by Yesilbag and Colpan in 2006 (20). However, they reported an increase in egg production at 24-28 and 36-38 weeks of age with the inclusion of 1.5 and 0.5% organic acids in the diet. Gama et al. (6) also showed that the addition of organic acids to the diet of laying hens for 4 to 8 weeks improved egg production. Sultan (16) reported a beneficial effect of organic acids (formic acid and salts of butyric, propionic and lactic acids) on average egg production (from 54 to 70 weeks of age) at the highest level (780 ppm). The positive effect of acetic acid on egg-laying performance was also observed in chickens raised under heat stress conditions (8).

The effects of the experimental treatments on quantitative egg traits at 37 and 41 weeks of age are reported in Table 2. The results showed that the use of 1, 1.5 and 2 g/kg of Acetic acidifier Chitica increased shell thickness compared to the control group and the group receiving 0.5 g/kg of acidifier, which were significant differences. The experimental treatments had no significant effect on shell percentage, albumen percentage and yolk percentage of the eggs during the two periods. This effect can probably be attributed to the increase in calcium and phosphorus availability, which is caused by the decrease in pH in the upper intestinal tract and the stimulatory effect of organic acids on villus height, which was observed by Garcia et al. (2007) in broilers. It has also been reported that organic acids (citric acid) improve calcium availability by chelating calcium and reducing the formation of insoluble calcium phytate complexes (2). Abdel Fattah et al. (1) reported that chickens fed diets containing organic acids had significantly higher blood calcium and phosphorus concentrations, which the authors attributed to a decrease in intestinal pH and an increase in the absorption of these macronutrients by these acids. Sultan (16) reported that organic acids (a mixture of formic acid and salts of butyric, propionic, and lactic acids) added to the diet at 780 ppm improved eggshell thickness at 70 weeks of age and reduced the number of broken eggs. However, there was no effect on eggshell weight. The author showed that the observed improvement in eggshell quality was associated with an increase in serum calcium concentration, which could be attributed to the beneficial effect of organic acids on calcium absorption (16). Urban et al. (11) reported that high doses of ascorbic acid (2000 or 3000 ppm) improved egg specific gravity, which was associated with an increase in blood calcium concentration. In contrast, Yesilbag and Colpan (20) found no effect of formic and propionic acids on shell thickness and breaking strength of eggshells in their experiment with Lohmann hens.

Conclusion

Organic acids have positive effects on animal performance by reducing the pH of the digestive tract and helping to secrete digestive enzymes. The results of this study showed that acidifier treatments had positive effects on performance traits. According to the data obtained from this study, it can be concluded that the use of 1 g/kg of acidifier Acetic Acid Chitica has shown the best performance considering economic conditions.