Effect of feeding whole-in-shell peanuts and high-oleic peanuts to laying hens on ileal nutrient digestibility

Authors: HARDING, KARI - North Carolina State University; MALHEIROS, DIMITRI - North Carolina State University; Vu, Thien; WYSOCKY, REBECCA - North Carolina State University; MALHEIROS, RAMON - North Carolina State University; ANDERSON, KENNETH - North Carolina State University; Toomer, Ondulla

Submitted to: International Journal of Poultry Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/9/2022
Publication Date: 10/1/2022
Citation: Harding, K.L., Malheiros, D.M., Vu, T.C., Wysocky, R., Malheiros, R.M., Anderson, K.E., Toomer, O.T. 2022. Effect of feeding whole-in-shell peanuts and high-oleic peanuts to laying hens on ileal nutrient digestibility. International Journal of Poultry Science. 21(4):166-173. https://doi.org/10.3923/ijps.2022.166.173.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3923/ijps.2022.166.173

Interpretive Summary: The search for poultry feed ingredients grown locally within the US Southeast and central to US poultry and egg production has become a priority over the years to minimize poultry feed cost and the cost of poultry products. Some livestock feeding trials have demonstrated the effective use of peanuts and peanut by-products as alternative feed ingredients to corn and soybean meal. However, very few or no studies to date have examined the nutrient digestibility of whole in shell peanuts or unblanched high-oleic peanuts in egg-producing hens. Therefore, in this study we aimed to examine the nutrient digestibility of feeding an 8% inclusion of high-oleic peanuts (HOPN), or a 4% inclusion of whole-in-shell peanuts (WPS) in the diets of egg-producing hens. Hens were fed three nutritionally complete experimental diets (HOPN, WPS and conventional control) for 6-weeks with 2% inclusion of an indigestible marker. Feed intake and body weights were recorded weekly, while eggs were collected daily and tabulated. Feed, intestinal, and fecal samples were collected at termination for analysis. There were no significant treatment differences in body weights, feed intake, number of eggs produced, or the ratio of feed consumed per total number of eggs produced. The control and HOPN dietary treatments had improved apparent metabolizable energy relative to the WPS treatment, while the WPS provided the highest level of fat digestibility relative to the other treatments. Protein digestibility was best in the conventional control dietary treatment group and the lowest in the WPS dietary treatment group. In summary, this study demonstrates that HOPN layer hen diets have comparable fat nutrient digestibility and apparent metabolizable energy values to a conventional control layer diet, while WPS poultry diets may require supplemental protein and/or energy in the finished feed. The impact of this study is the additional validation of peanuts as a viable nutrient rich alternative feed ingredient for layers while opening the potential for greater utilization of peanuts in poultry production with positive economic outcomes for the peanut industry.

Technical Abstract: Objective: The present is study was conducted to determine the effect of feeding whole-in-shell peanuts or high-oleic peanuts to laying hens on ileal nutrient digestibility. Materials and Methods: A total of 16 birds per treatment were utilized for 6 weeks with ileal and fecal content being collected at trial termination. Apparent metabolizable energy corrected for nitrogen, apparent nitrogen retention, and apparent protein and fat digestibility were examined. Results: There were no significant differences in egg production, feed intake, or feed conversion between treatments. Apparent metabolizable energy and the apparent nitrogen retention was significantly lower in diets containing whole in shell peanuts than the other two treatment diets. Apparent fat digestibility was significantly higher for the treatment with whole in shell peanuts than the other diets, and the high oleic peanut containing diet was significantly higher than the control. Apparent protein digestibility was greater for control diet than the other treatments and the diet containing whole in shell peanuts had significantly lower protein digestibility compared to the diet with high oleic peanuts in it. With the apparent metabolizable energy and the apparent nitrogen retention for high oleic peanut containing diet being statistically the same as the control diet results could indicate that these hens can use the energy and nitrogen for their production. Conclusion: Results indicate that 8% inclusion of high oleic peanuts in diet could be beneficial however feeding whole in shell peanuts may have poorer digestibility results, but not reduce production performance. Both high oleic and whole in shell peanuts could be good alternative feed ingredients.