Kholodilina TN, Mustafina AS, Klimova TA, Yausheva EV, Kazaev KA.

Animal Husbandry and Fodder Production. 2025. Vol. 108. No. 2. Р. 129-142.

doi:10.33284/2658-3135-108-2-129

 

Original article

Effect of calcium citrate on egg quality and quantity of laying hens in early laying period

 

Tatiana N Kholodilina1,6, Aleksandra S Mustafina2, Tatiana A Klimova3, Elena V Yausheva4,

Kirill A Kazaev5

1,2,3,4,5Federal Research Centre of Biological Systems and Agrotechnologies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Orenburg, Russia

6Orenburg State University, Orenburg, Russia

1,6xolodilina@rambler.ru, http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3946-8247

2vshivkovaas@mail.ru, http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9525-2822

3klimovat91@mail.ru, http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4298-1663

4vasilena56@mail.ru, http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1589-2211

5kazaevk970@gmail.com, http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0443-6990

Abstract. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in improving the efficiency of mineral supplements in laying hens' diets. Replacing traditional calcium salts with more accessible organic forms, such as calcium citrate, improves digestibility and, as a consequence, reduces economic losses of poultry farms due to culling and eggshell fragility. This paper shows the effect of various doses of calcium citrate introduced into the diet of Hisex Brown laying hens during the pre-laying period on egg production and morphological parameters. Limestone flour served as a source of calcium in the diet. After a two-week preparatory period, part of the limestone flour contained in the diet in the experimental groups was replaced with 10%, 20% and 30% calcium citrate. The birds were fed with experimental diets during the pre-laying period from the 15th to the 20th week. The egg production assessment revealed that over the periods of 20 and 25 weeks, the highest egg production of laying hens was registered in the group receiving 20 % of the studied additive and amounted to 6.3 and 7.7 eggs per head, which is higher than the control value by 12.5% and 11.7%. In the same group, the lowest feed costs for the production of 1 kg of egg product were obtained - 2.89 kg. In the experimental groups with limestone replaced by 10% and 30% of the preparation, feed consumption was lower than the control by 10.3 and 7.8%, respectively. Eggs of laying hens that received 20% calcium citrate had significantly higher protein indices, the difference with the control was 0.8% and 1.8% (P≤0.05) in the period of 16-20 and 21-25 weeks, respectively, Howe units were higher than the control by 5.03 units (P≤0.05). The thickness of the eggshell in the first period significantly increased in the experimental groups in the range of 6.7-8.4% (P≤0.05), in the second period by 5.9-12.8 % (P≤0.05) compared to the control. Thus, according to the results of the studies, the optimal indicators for feed costs per unit of production, protein quality and shell thickness were registered in the group receiving 20 % calcium citrate.

Keywords: laying hens, feeding, productivity, egg production, calcium citrate

Acknowledgments: the  work  was  supported  by  the  Russian  Science  Foundation,  Project   No. № 23-16-00165.

For citation: Kholodilina TN, Mustafina AS, Klimova TA, Yausheva EV, Kazaev KA. Effect of calcium citrate on egg quality and quantity of laying hens in early laying period. Animal Husbandry and Fodder Production. 2025;108(2):129-142. (In Russ.)]. https://doi.org/10.33284/2658-3135-108-2-129

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Information about the authors:

Tatyana N Kholodilina, Cand. Sci. (Agriculture), Head of the Testing Center of the Core Shared Research Facilities, Federal Research Centre of Biological Systems and Agrotechnologies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 29, 9 January St., Orenburg, 460000; Associate Professor of the Department of «Ecology and Nature Management», Orenburg State University, 13 Pobedy Ave., Orenburg, 460018, tel.: 8-353-277-39-97.

Aleksandra S Mustafina, Cand. Sci (Agriculture), Junior Researcher of the Testing Center of the Core Shared Research Facilities, Federal Research Centre of Biological Systems and Agrotechnologies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 29, 9 Yanvarya St., Orenburg, 460000, cell.: 8-912-340-21-10.

Tatiana A Klimova, Cand. Sci. (Biology), Junior Researcher of the Testing Center of the Core Shared Research Facilities, Federal Research Centre of Biological Systems and Agrotechnologies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 29, 9 Yanvarya St., Orenburg, 460000, cell.: 8-987-849-41-66.

Elena V Yausheva, Cand. Sci. (Biology), Senior Researcher, Acting Head of Laboratory of Molecular Genetic Research and Metallomics in Animal Husbandry, Federal Research Centre of Biological Systems and Agrotechnologies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 29, 9 Yanvarya St., Orenburg, 460000, tel.: 8-987-850-07-15.

Kirill A Kazaev, Junior Researcher of the Testing Center of the Core Shared Research Facilities, Federal Research Centre of Biological Systems and Agrotechnologies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 29, 9 Yanvarya St., Orenburg, 460000, cell.: 8-922-620-13-82.

The article was submitted 10.11.2024; approved after reviewing 26.03.2025; accepted for publication 16.06.2025.

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