Factors affecting liver fat accumulation and liver hemorrhages associated with fatty liver-hemorrhagic syndrome in laying chickens

Abstract

A series of four experiments was conducted with a commercial strain of laying chickens in an attempt to experimentally produce Fatty Liver-Hemorrhagic syndrome (FLHS). Different dietary energy sources, environmental temperatures and feeding schedules were the experimental variables. Increasing the environmental temperature from 12.2 degrees C. (experiment 1) to 27.8 degrees C. (experiment 2) did not drastically alter total liver fat, 2.7 g. (experiment 1) vs. 2.9 g. (experiment 2) or the incidence of FLHS, 0.0% (experiment 1) vs. 1.0% (experiment 2). Likewise, in experiment 4, changing the environmental temperature from 22.2 degrees C. to 30.6 degrees C. or from 30.6 degrees C. to 22.2 degrees C. did not significantly (P greater than .05) alter total liver fat or liver wet weight. The greatest incidence (50%) of FLHS occurred in birds which were restricted in feed intake and exposed to an environmental temperature of 30.6 degrees C. from 32-36 weeks of age followed by ad libitum feeding at a temperature of 22.2 degrees C. from 36-40 weeks of age. These birds ate 26.8% more feed than the control birds during the ad libitum feeding period. Restricted feed schedules (experiment 3) resulted in significantly (P less than .05) lower 40 week liver wet weights and total fat when applied during the growing (14-20 weeks of age) and early lay (20-28 weeks of age) periods.