Caiyun Jiang

Microbial contamination of hatching eggs often leads to reduced hatchability and poor chick quality. As trimethylamine (TMA), a metabolite derived from dietary choline, has antimicrobial properties, increasing yolk TMA contents may increase bacterial resistance to eggs; however, the effects of TMA concentrations on chick quality remain unknown. Hence, this study was conducted to determine the effects of yolk TMA concentrations on the hatchability and chick quality of dwarf hens with different FMO3 genotypes. Hens (n = 140) were divided into control and experimental groups; the latter received choline chloride (2800 mg/kg) to elevate their yolk TMA concentrations. The TMA content, Pasgar score, hatchability, and post-hatching performance were evaluated. The results showed that choline supplementation significantly increased TMA concentrations in hens with AT and TT genotypes. Higher yolk TMA concentrations (≥4 µg/g) correlated with improved Pasgar scores and reduced abnormalities in vitality, navel, and yolk sac absorption. Hatchability peaked at 6.49 µg/g TMA, suggesting a threshold effect. Although the growth rate remained unaffected, chick mortality decreased in the high-TMA group. Therefore, moderate TMA concentrations can enhance egg antimicrobial defenses and improve reproductive performance. This strategy provides a biologically grounded alternative to traditional chemical disinfection in hatcheries.

The purpose of this study was to compare the differences in the content of functional nutrients in eggs, performance parameters, and egg quality parameters of different chicken breeds. In Trial 1, 150 41-week-old hens of each breed, including the Dwarf Layer, White Leghorn, Silky fowl, Beijing-you chicken, and Shouguang chicken, were randomly assigned to the control (CON) and 2.5% flaxseed oil (FSO) groups to compare the difference in n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content in eggs. The contents of α-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and total n-3 PUFA in eggs were increased (p < 0.05) in the FSO groups. The ALA (4.28%), DHA (2.03%), and total n-3 PUFA (6.46%) contents in eggs of Dwarf Layer were the highest among the five breeds (p < 0.05). To further verify if other functional nutrients also have such differences, 600 24-week-old White Leghorn and Dwarf Layer were allocated to four groups: CON, FSO, 0.02% selenium-enriched yeast (SEY), and 0.20% marigold flower extract (MFE), in Trial 2. The content of functional nutrients in eggs was significantly increased (p < 0.05) after feeding these additions. After feeding FSO, the eggs of the Dwarf Layer had a higher n-3 PUFA content than the White Leghorn (p < 0.05). However, no significant differences were found in selenium and lutein content in different breeds. Performance and egg quality were not negatively impacted by FSO, SEY, or MFE.

Translucent egg consumption is low due to consumer acceptance and quality concerns, which is a problem that egg producers need to address. This study was performed to evaluate the reasons for the high occurrence of egg translucency in summer, as well as whether the addition of mono-dicalcium phosphate (MDCP) to the diet can relieve eggshell translucency and whether eggshell translucency is associated with the risk of bacterial invasion. A total of 72 laying hens that were 36 weeks old were randomly divided into control (CON) and MDCP groups and fed in the same environment. Results showed that the number of translucent eggs increases in July and August as the temperature and humidity increase. Compared with the CON group, in July, August, and October, the translucent egg grade (TEG) of the MDCP group was lower than that of the CON group (p < 0.05). TEG was correlated with mastoid space height (MSH), width (MSW), and area (MSA) (correlation coefficients 0.63, 0.59, and 0.68, respectively, p ≤ 0.05). There was no significant difference in the invasion rate of E. coli between translucent and non-translucent egg groups (47.2% vs. 39.33%), and translucent area and non-translucent area (13.49% vs. 15.08%). In conclusion, our results show that dietary MDCP may alleviate eggshell translucency and that eggshell translucency would not increase the probability of E. coli cross-shell penetration rate.