PERFORMANCE OF SINGLE COMB WHITE LEGHORN LAYERS FED CORN-SOYBEAN MEALAND BARLEY-CORN-SOYBEAN MEAL DIETS SUPPLEMENTED WITH A DIRECT-FED MICROBIAL

An experiment was conducted with Single Comb White Leghorn (SCWL) laye rs to determine the effect of feeding either corn-soybean meal (C-S) o r barley-corn soybean meal (B-C-S) diets with or without condensed can e molasses solubles (CCMS) or with or without CCMS-1,100 mg Lactobacil lus (Lacto)/kg (ppm) diet on performance, nutrient retentions, digesta passage rate, and histological changes of the gastrointestinal (GI) t racts. Six dietary treatments were fed for eight 28-d periods and cons isted of C-S (control), C-S + CCMS, C-S + CCMS-1,100 ppm Lacto (4.4 x 107 cfu/mg Lacto), B-C-S (control), B-C-S + CCMS, and B-C-S + CCMS-1,1 00 ppm Lacto. The CCMS served as the carrier for the Lacto, and the CC MS-Lacto premix (55 g Lacto/kg) was incorporated at 2% of the diet. La ctobacillus supplementation in C-S diets improved (P<.05) egg weight, egg mass, egg size, and body weight gains, and in B-C-S diets improved body weight gains. There were no differences in feed consumption, fee d conversion, internal egg quality, and egg specific gravity among the dietary treatments. Passage rates of digesta were increased (P<.05) w hen either C-S or B-C-S layer diets were supplemented with Lacto. Lact obacillus supplementations of the C-S and B-C-S diets increased (P<.05 ) fat and calcium, and fat, phosphorus, copper, and manganese retentio ns, respectively. Increased cellularity of Peyer's patches in the ileu m indicated a stimulation of the mucosal immune system that responds t o antigenic stimuli by secreting immunoglobulin (IgA).