Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Sep;8(5):2040-2049.
doi: 10.1002/vms3.896. Epub 2022 Aug 4.

Zinc supplementation improves antioxidant status, and organic zinc is more efficient than inorganic zinc in improving the bone strength of aged laying hens

Aidin Dokht Niknia  1 , Reza Vakili  1 , Abdol-Mansour Tahmasbi  2
Affiliations

Zinc supplementation improves antioxidant status, and organic zinc is more efficient than inorganic zinc in improving the bone strength of aged laying hens

Aidin Dokht Niknia et al. Vet Med Sci. 2022 Sep.

Abstract

Background: There have been some reports indicating that supplementation of zinc could alleviate the negative effects of age on egg quality in laying hens. However, information regarding these positive effects on health and zinc deposition in the body is limited.

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of organic and inorganic sources of zinc on the antioxidant activity, bone strength, and zinc deposition in the tissues of older laying hens.

Methods: In a completely randomized design, 175 Leghorn laying hens (w36) aged 80 weeks were allocated into seven treatment groups and five replications: control (without zinc supplementation), zinc sulphate treatments (15, 30, and 45 mg/kg), and organic zinc treatments (15, 30, and 45 mg/kg).

Results: There was a significant increase in feed intake in the zinc sulphate and organic zinc treatments compared to the control treatment (p < 0.05). The egg mass in organic and sulphate zinc showed a significant increase. The feed conversion ratio was decreased significantly in the organic zinc treatments (p < 0.05). Both organic and sulphate zinc supplements enhanced serum superoxide dismutase activity as an antioxidant index (p < 0.05). The cortical thickness of the tibia was improved in laying hens receiving 30 mg/kg organic zinc. Supplementation of zinc could lead to an increase in zinc deposition in tissues, and organic zinc boosts bone strength.

Conclusion: Zinc supplementation can improve antioxidant activity, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio and enhance egg mass and optimal absorption of zinc in tissues. The use of 30 mg/kg organic zinc is recommended for improving the cortical thickness of the tibia in aged laying hens.

Keywords: bone strength; laying hen; superoxide dismutase; zinc reserves; zinc supplementation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

All authors have no conflicts of interest.

References

    1. El‐Hack, A. E. M. , Alagawany, M. , Salah, A. S. , Abdel‐Latif, M. A. , & Farghly, M. F. A. (2018). Effects of Dietary supplementation of zinc oxide and zinc methionine on layer performance, egg quality, and blood serum indices. Biological Trace Element Research, 184, 456–462. - PubMed
    1. Abedini, M. , Shariatmadari, F. , Karimi Torshizi, M. A. , & Ahmadi, H. (2018). Effects of zinc oxide nanoparticles on the egg quality, immune response, zinc retention, and blood parameters of laying hens in the late production phase. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition, 102(3), 736–745. - PubMed
    1. Ammerman, C. B. , Baker, D. H. , & Lewis, A. J. (1995). Bioavailability of nutrients for animals: Amino acids, minerals and vitamins. Academic Press.
    1. Attia, Y. A. , Al‐Hamid, A. , Zeweil, H. S. , Qota, E. M. , Bovera, F. , Monastra, G. , & Sahledom, M. D. (2013). Effect of dietary amounts of inorganic and organic zinc on productive and physiological traits of white peking ducks. Animal, 7(6), 895–900. - PubMed
    1. Behjatian Esfahani, M. , Moravej, H. , Ghaffarzadeh, M. , & Nehzati Paghaleh, G. A. (2021). Comparison the Zn‐threonine, Zn‐methionine, and Zn oxide on performance, egg quality, Zn bioavailability, and Zn content in egg and excreta of laying hens. Biological Trace Element Research, 199(1), 292–304. - PubMed

Publication types