Authors : Ebru Cetin, Berrin Kocaoglu Guclu and Nazmi Cetin
Abstract: This study was conducted to determine the anti-stress effect of the dietary humate and organic acid supplementation on laying hens when subjected to high stocking density as a social stress factor. A total of hundred, 40 weeks, brown laying hens were housed at two different stocking densities of 287.7 (high density) and 500 (low density) cm2/hen. For the control group, 16 hens were randomly assigned to 4 groups, 4 replicates of 4 birds each and were kept in low density. The control group received a basal diet. The remaining 84 hens were divided into 3 treatment groups, 4 replicates of 7 birds each and were housed at high density. The treatment group were fed either a basal diet (crowded control) or the basal diet supplemented with either 0.15 humate (Humate group) or 0.20 % organic acid (organic acid group) of diet for 60 days. The results show that in hens kept in high density heterophils and Heterophil to Lymphocyte (H:L) ratios, an indicator of stress were raised while lymphocytes decreased. Humate supplementation resulted in significant increases in the lymphocyte counts and significant decreases in the heterophil counts and H:L ratios compared with those of the crowded control. The heterophils, lymphocytes and H:L ratio were not influenced by organic acid treatment. The present results suggest that humate supplementation to diet may be a favorable alternative for help poultry to cope with social stresses.
Ebru Cetin, Berrin Kocaoglu Guclu and Nazmi Cetin, 2011. Effect of Dietary Humate and Organic Acid Supplementation on Social Stress Induced by High Stocking Density in Laying Hens. Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances, 10: 2402-2407.