Effect of Early Feed Withdrawal on Subsequent Laying Hen Performance

Two experiments evaluated the effects of short periods of feed withdrawal early in production on subsequent performance of laying hens. Laying hens of the H&N strain (22 or 20 wk of age) were full fed (control) or deprived of feed for 4 or 7 days when they reached 10% production. Egg production was evaluated for 45 wk, but other performance data were collected for 32 wk because no treatment differences existed beyond that point. Feed withdrawal for 4 and 7 days caused BW losses of 14 and 20%, respectively. In Experiment 1 (winter), BW at 2-wk postwithdrawal for hens that did not eat for 7 days were reduced (P < or = .05) compared with controls or hens that did not eat for 4 days. However, in Experiment 2 (summer), BW of hens deprived of feed for 4 or 7 days were lower (P < or = .05) than those of controls. Average early egg weight (Weeks 1 to 6) was not different among treatments in both experiments. The only observed effect of treatment on long-term egg weight was that egg weight for 7-day hens was greater (P < or = .05) than for controls in Experiment 2. Early hen-day egg production was depressed by 4- or 7-day feed withdrawal, but long-term production was not different between control and 4-day hens in both experiments. However, hen-housed production was lower (P < or = .05) for 4-day hens compared with controls in Experiment 2. Fewer (P < or = .05) eggs were produced by 7-day hens versus controls in both experiments.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)