Modern egg production is increasingly focused on the goal of a 100-week laying period and 500 eggs per hen, while maintaining consistent eggshell quality. As hens age, calcium metabolism and shell formation become critical limiting factors for productivity and profitability. Activated vitamin D supports efficient calcium absorption and mobilization, helping sustain eggshell strength and laying performance throughout extended laying cycles.
By Phytobiotics Futterzusatzstoffe GmbH
Commercial egg producers are striving to produce more eggs with adequate eggshell quality within one laying period of their hens. Some poultry farmers already achieve the target of 500 eggs in 100 weeks by adjusting breeds, management and nutrition. These are great examples of how modern hens can achieve performance goals unimaginable only 10-20 years ago. Active D Product Manager Murat Devlikamov explains:
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE IN TERMS OF EXTENDED LAYING TIME?
Modern laying hens are truly high-performance animals that lay an egg almost every day. However, the eggs need to have a proper eggshell in order to be marketable; if this is not the case, economic losses are inevitable.
The eggshell requires calcium, which is mobilized from the feed and bones. The weight of the eggshell of the total egg mass remains relatively constant throughout the laying period as its share is genetically predetermined. Consequently, as the egg is getting larger, the eggshell is getting thinner. Considering the fact that the eggshell consists of 96% calcium carbonate the importance of calcium supply is evident to ensure stable eggshells. With age, shell thickness also decreases, because calcium availability reduces. As a result, the breaking strength of the eggshell declines and more and more eggs show cracks or abnormalities.
In the first half of the laying period, the percentage of broken eggs is neglectable, but increases in the second laying period and requires feeding-related or management measures.
HOW ACTIVATED VITAMIN D HELPS
It is not only the size of the egg that influences the breaking strength of the eggshell. It is also a proper absorption, mobilization and transport of calcium. Vitamin D is an essential molecule which activates calcium transport and influences its absorption rate. Because of the importance of both, a supplementation with vitamin D and calcium should be ensured throughout the whole production period. Unfortunately, it is not always the case, especially in older laying hens, as the function of organs such as liver and kidneys is impaired by environmental influences. The production of specific enzymes involved in the metabolization of vitamin D declines. The availability of calcium in bones also decreases as reserves are depleted. In this case plant based Active D may help as it provides the already activated vitamin D glycosides which are directly available for the hen.
Activated vitamin D offers the advantage that it does not require the vitamin D metabolic pathway and is therefore not dependent on enzymes or organs functionality. As a result, the mobilization of calcium from the feed is maintained in critical phases and more calcium is available for the formation of the eggshell.
A field study conducted by the University of Sydney and described below shows the positive effect of Active D in old hens.
USE OF ACTIVE D IN OLDER BROWN LAYING HENS
A total of 240 Hy-Line Brown layer hens, 55 weeks of age, were purchased from a commercial laying farm and housed in the high-rise layer facility at the University of Sydney’s Camden Campus. After an adaptation period of 5 weeks, during which the hens received standard commercial feed, the trial started. The animals were allocated into three groups. A control group with standard vitamin D levels in a control diet. Treatment 1 consisted of a control diet plus 75 g of activated vitamin D3 product/ton of feed, while Treatment 2 consisted of the control diet plus 125 g of activated vitamin D3 product/ton of feed. From the 60th week, following relevant data was collected, among others: Egg production, eggshell breaking strength, and eggshell thickness.
PROMISING RESULTS
In both treatment groups, shell thickness was maintained relatively throughout the trial, while dropped notably in the control birds at 80 weeks of age. Concurrently, supplementation of both concentrations of activated vitamin D3 maintained eggshell thickness compared to the control diet, indicating that activated vitamin D3 may counteract the decrease of shell thickness frequently observed as hens age, because it ensures the calcium absorption and transport to the eggshell. Significant improvements in relative shell weight and thickness indicate that supplementing activated vitamin D3 in older laying hens may benefit eggshell quality. Additionally, a numerical increase of laying performance indicates that the overall productivity is maintained compared to the control group. This finding shows that Active D is a promising tool for egg producers to achieve the goal of 100 weeks and 500 eggs and thus enables longer economic production.
