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More fibre in layer diets reduces ammonia emissions
The inclusion of extra fibre in layer hen diets has been shown to
reduce ammonia emissions from the hens' manure by up to 50%, without affecting
egg production.
Reducing ammonia emission from large-scale laying-hen operations is becoming
an important issue facing the poultry industry. In an experiment conducted by
the Iowa State University (ISU), soy hulls, wheat middlings, or corn distillers
dried grains with solubles were added to laying-hen diets to determine the
effect of dietary fibre on manure ammonia emission.
The objective of
the ISU's trial was to determine if addition of fermentable fibre to laying-hen
diets would reduce ammonia emission, similar to the effects shown in pigs, by
shifting nitrogen excretion from uric acid to more stable bacterial protein and
by reducing manure pH.
Addition of the three fibre sources to the
diets of laying hens caused a decrease in total ammonia emission and emission
rate from the manure by up to 50%. This decrease was realised partly through a
reduction in the amount of manure uric acid and partly through a lowered manure
pH. Egg production and egg mass were not affected by the dietary fibre
additions, although feed consumption increased slightly (by 2%). Further
research is warranted to determine the best inclusion rate of the three fibre
sources that minimises ammonia emission without affecting feed
intake.
The development of a sustainable, profitable, and competitive
egg-production system is becoming a challenging issue facing the laying-hen
industry. The excretion and volatilisation of nitrogen is responsible for a
significant proportion of the environmental issues that have arisen from
intensive poultry production. As government agencies propose regulations on
ammonia emission from livestock facilities, egg producers will need methods of
reducing emissions while maintaining egg
production.
http://www.ans.iastate.edu/report/air/?pg=tablecontent06
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