Influence of Protein Level in the Resting Diet upon Performance of Force Rested Hens

Three experiments were conducted to compare performance of force rested hens when fed diets with either 8.6 or 16.2% protein during the resting period. Hisex White hens were used in Experiment 1 and Hy-Line W-36 hens were used in Experiments 2 and 3. They had been in production for approximately 10 months. Hens fed the diet with 16.2% protein returned to production significantly sooner and, as a result, laid significantly more eggs. However, after peak egg production, body weight, egg weight or specific gravity were not significantly different for the two treatments.