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ARS Home » Plains Area » College Station, Texas » Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center » Food and Feed Safety Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #127422
Title: EFFECTS OF MOLTING REGIMENS ON SALMONELLA ENTERITIDIS COLONIZATION AND INVASION IN LAYING HENS

Author
item Moore, Randle
item WOODWARD, CASENDRA - TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
item Kubena, Leon
item Byrd Ii, James - Allen
item KNAPE, KOYLE - TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
item Kwon, Young
item Nisbet, David
item RICKE, STEVEN - TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: Poultry Science
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/15/2002
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: In the current study, zinc and alfalfa diets were compared for Salmonella populations, incidences, and intestinal lesion scores. Leghorn hens greater than 50 wk of age were divided into 4 feed treatment groups (8 hens/group) which were challenged with SE (1X10**4 cfu on the fourth d of feed treatment) and 4 non-SE challenged feed treatment controls (4 hens/group). The feed treatment groups utilized in this study were A) non-molted (full fed), B) molted (feed deprived), C) molted (alfalfa diet), and D) molted (zinc diet, 10,000 mg zinc/kg). Hens were maintained on an 8h light 16h dark photoperiod throughout the study. On the ninth d of feed treatment, Crop pH, ovary weight, SE population and incidences in crop, ceca, liver, spleen, and ovaries, and gross cecal lesion scores were determined. Crop pH was significantly lower in chicks fed diet D than diet B, but not diet C, and the pH of chicks fed diet A was significantly lower than all of the feed treatments. Ovary weights as a percentage of body weights of all molting treatments were significantly reduced from the full-fed hens (diet A). Incidences and populations of ceca, spleen, and ovary SE were significantly reduced for all diets, when compared with the non-fed hens (Diet B). Crop incidence of SE was also reduced for all diets, when compared with diet B. Incidence of liver SE was very low for all diets in this study. Gross cecal lesion scores were significantly greater in non-fed (diet B) birds than with the other feed treatments. These data suggest that either a high zinc diet or an alfalfa diet may be used as alternative methods to feed deprivation for reducing the incidence of SE during molting of laying hens.