Beneficial Effect of Synthetic Sodium Aluminosilicate on Feed Efficiency and Performance of Commercial Leghorns

Two experiments were conducted to determine the influence of synthetic sodium aluminosilicate (SAS) on feed efficiency and other performance characteristics of commercial Leghorns. In Experiment 1, 600 hens were randomly divided into two groups and fed corn-soybean meal diets containing 0 or .75% SAS for 6 wk. The SAS was added at the expense of .65% corn and .10% salt. Experiment 2 was conducted similarly to Experiment 1, except that the diets were kept isocaloric and isonitrogenous. Results indicated that the SAS diet significantly improved caloric consumption (2.0%, Experiment 1) and feed efficiency (2.0%, Experiment 2). The SAS had no influence on egg production but improved egg specific gravity. Egg weight was significantly reduced during the 5th wk of Experiment 1 but was not affected in Experiment 2. The results of these studies indicate that for periods of short duration, feed efficiency and egg specific gravity can be significantly improved by the addition of .75% SAS to commercial Leghorn diets.