This study investigated the effects of long-term dietary choline supplementation on the productive performance, liver characteristics, and egg quality of brown laying hens during an extended laying cycle from 66 to 100 weeks of age. A total of 240 Hy-Line Brown laying hens were randomly allocated to four dietary treatments containing 0%, 0.07%, 0.28%, or 0.84% supplemental Choline-50%, with six replicates per treatment. Production performance was monitored throughout the experiment, and samples for physiological analyses were collected at 100 weeks of age. Egg production during 66–75 weeks increased linearly with increasing dietary choline levels (p < 0.05), whereas no significant differences were observed between weeks 76 and 100. Choline supplementation significantly decreased liver fat content and malondialdehyde concentration (p < 0.01), indicating improved hepatic lipid metabolism and reduced oxidative stress. Small white and yellow follicle counts increased (p < 0.05), suggesting enhanced early follicular development. Serum inorganic phosphorus levels decreased linearly (p < 0.01), whereas the other blood biochemical traits were unaffected. Dietary treatments did not influence bone quality traits. Yolk weight decreased in the choline-supplemented hens (p < 0.05), whereas albumen quality and shell traits remained unchanged. In conclusion, dietary choline supplementation may improve liver health and maintain productivity during production cycles extending up to 100 weeks of age.
Kim et al. (Tue,) studied this question.