Effect of sodium butyrate on diets for laying hens on the productive performance, egg quality and intestinal villi.

In this study, productive performance, quality of eggs and histological analysis of intestinal villi of the duodenum (length and width) was evaluated in Bovans laying hens of 63 weeks of age, with the addition of butyrate in the diet ( 0, 300, 500 ppm). The results obtained in ten weeks of experimentation showed a response (P < 0.05) on egg production percentaje (86.4, 92.2 and 89.6), egg weight (63.4, 63.4 and 64.1 g), feed consumption/bird/day (111.4, 111.9 and 113.4 g), feed conversion (2.09, 1.95 and 2.03), micro-fractures percentaje (20.8, 14.9 and 12.9), broken eggs percentaje (2.6, 2.1 and 0.6), length of villi (1.15, 1.22 and 1.32 mm) and villi width (0.467, 0.500 and 0.532 mm) to the addition of butyrate. These results indicate the beneficial effect of butyrate in laying hens in the last third of its first production cycle. From information obtained in this study, it is concluded that sodium butyrate on diets at 500 ppm for Bovans laying hens of 63 weeks of age, improves the productive performance, shell quality and intestinal villi integrity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]