Effect of whole wheat levels in diet on production performance, egg quality and Nutrient digestibility of laying hens

The experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of whole wheat on the production performance, egg quality, and nutrient digestibility when supplemented primarily at the expense of corn in ground corn-soybean meal control diets. The experiments utilized Lohmann Brown Classic laying hens from 45 to 53 wk of age. The results were shown that feeding 5, 10, 15, 20, or 25% whole wheat in diet had no effect on the production performance and egg quality, whereas 15, 20, and 25% whole wheat in diet decreased the yolk color (based on the Roche color fan score) when compared with layers fed the control diet. Whole wheat level in diet had no effect on dry matter,organic matter digestibility, and apparent metabolizable energy when compared with laying hens fed the control diet. Therefore, whole wheat can be used at levels of up to 25% in laying hen diets without negatively affecting the production performance, but levels over 15% whole wheat decreased the yolk color.