Energy supplementation of laying hen feed and drinking water

Duplicate experiments were conducted with White Leghorn pullets (29 and 31 wk old) to determine the influence of sucrose additions to feed or drinking water upon performance and average daily energy intake. Treatments consisted either of 3.06 or 4.58% sucrose in drinking water or of 4.76% sucrose in the feed compared with a control diet containing 2,657 kcal ME/kg. In each experiment, six replicate pens of 5 individually caged hens received feed or water treatments ad libitum for 42 days. Egg production and body weight change were not affected in either experiment by sucrose addition. Feed intake was significantly reduced in association with either level of sucrose in the water. In Experiment 1, egg weights from hens receiving sucrose water were significantly below those of controls, probably because of lowered feed intake. Total energy consumed per gram of body weight was significantly higher in both studies for birds receiving the sucrose water.