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. 2020 Aug 11;10(8):1396.
doi: 10.3390/ani10081396.

Effect of Different Percentage of Camelina sativa Cake in Laying Hens Diet: Performance, Welfare, and Eggshell Quality

Susanna Lolli  1 , Guido Grilli  2 , Lorenzo Ferrari  1 , Giovanna Battelli  3 , Sara Pozzo  3 , Incoronata Galasso  4 , Roberto Russo  4 , Milena Brasca  3 , Remo Reggiani  4 , Valentina Ferrante  1
Affiliations

Effect of Different Percentage of Camelina sativa Cake in Laying Hens Diet: Performance, Welfare, and Eggshell Quality

Susanna Lolli et al. Animals (Basel). .

Abstract

Although camelina [Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz] is a good source of protein, antioxidants, and polyunsaturated fatty acids, its antinutritional compounds limit its use in animal feeding. The aim of this study was to verify the effect of feeding laying hens with up to 20% of camelina cake from a breeding line containing a low level of glucosinolates on performance, welfare, and eggshell quality. Two hundred and forty Hy-Line® hens from 18 to 51 weeks of age were divided into three treatments: control (C), camelina cake 10% (CAM10), and camelina cake 20% (CAM20). Egg number was recorded daily, while egg weight, feed consumption, and mortality were recorded weekly. At 24 and 43 weeks of hen age, shell resistance to fracture was measured. Our results demonstrate no detrimental effects for CAM10 and CAM20 diets on feed intake, growth performance, and welfare. No difference in egg production was detected among the diets. The significant (p < 0.05) interaction of diet and age factors suggest that the addition of camelina cake, up to 20%, likely protects the eggshell of older hens. Our findings confirm that camelina cake might be an alternative and sustainable protein source for hens.

Keywords: antinutritional compounds; camelina cake; fatty acids; laying hen; shell stiffness; volatile organic compounds.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Volatile compounds recognized in the Control and camelina diets (CAM10 and CAM20). Data expressed as arbitrary units refer to the peak area of the Quant ion (in brackets).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Hen-day egg production (%) in the Control diet (C) and camelina diets (CAM10 and CAM20) vs. Hy-Line® brown standard (ST).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Box-and-whisker plots including individual measurements of egg weight (g). Effect of hen age (weeks) and different camelina cake level in the diet (Control diet—C, camelina diets—CAM10 and CAM20). The horizontal boxes refer to the medium values for Hy-Line® brown standard.
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