Effects of Increased Light and Added Methionine on Molted Hens

Light and methionine supplementation for molting hens have been the focus of attention in may different research papers. The present experiments examined the combined effects of additional light prior to molting and methionine supplementation in molt feed on the performance of molted hens. Additional light or methionine supplementation in molt feed had no significant effect on most of the performance criteria observed in the two experiments. However, the did increase feed cost, utility cost, and incidence of body-checked eggs in both experiments. These result give reason to question the efficiency of supplying 24 hr light for 7 days prior to molt and using TSAA levels greater than 0.60% or protein levels greater than 15.90% in molt feed.