Manure production and mineral excretion in laying hens supplemented with lycopene and different mineral sources

Abstract

The effects of feeding diets containing lycopene and organic or inorganic minerals on commercial laying hens on manure production and characteristics were evaluated. A total of 192 laying hens were distributed into treatment groups using a completely randomized design with a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement (mineral sources × lycopene levels), with four replicates and eight birds per treatment. The diet was supplemented with lycopene at 0, 400, or 800 mg kg-1 of diet. The diets were as follows: MI, inorganic mineral diet without lycopene; MI+400, inorganic mineral diet with 400 mg of lycopene; MI+800, inorganic mineral diet with 800 mg of lycopene; MO, organic mineral diet without lycopene; MO+400, organic mineral diet with 400 mg of lycopene and MO+800, organic mineral diet with 800 mg of lycopene. The feed intake; daily manure production; and manure contents of dry matter, organic matter, mineral matter, ammoniacal nitrogen, carbon, and macro- and micronutrients; and manure pH were measured. Feed intake was higher in the MO and MO+800 groups than in the MI and MI+800 groups, with no differences in feed intake between the MI+400 and MO+400 groups. However, the feed intake was higher in the MI+400 group than in the MI and MI+800 group. The diet did not influence the daily amount of manure produced. The dry matter percentage in the manure of the MO+800 group was higher than that in all the other groups; the organic and mineral matter contents, including those of nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc, were highest in the manure of the chickens in the MO+800 group that in the manure of the chickens from the other groups. The diets did not increase the daily amount of manure produced by the hens; however, the chickens in the MO+800 group excrete larger amounts of macro- and micronutrients.
Keywords: carotenoids; chelate; excretion; organic minerals; nutrients.