Pirarucu by-product acid silage meal in diets for commercial laying hens

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the inclusion of pirarucu by-product acid silage meal in diets for laying hens on performance and egg quality. One hundred sixty eight Hissex White laying hens 73-wk-old were distributed in completely randomized design with seven treatments (0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 and 3.0%) and four replicates of six birds each. The experiment lasted 84 days divided into four periods of 21 days. Estimates of pirarucu by-product meal levels were determined by polynomial regression. Differences (p<0.05) were observed in all variables of performance, in egg weight, yolk height and yolk pigmentation, with pirarucu by-product meal inclusion in diets showed better results than control diet. The pirarucu by-product acid silage meal can be used as alternative food in diets for commercial laying hens. Up to the 2.5% inclusion level there wasn’t negative effect in performance and egg quality.