Nutrient Requirements of Egg Laying Chickens

The intake of nutrients is defined by the nutrient levels in the feed and the amount of feed
consumed.

Feed consumption
There are a number of factors that influence voluntary feed intake. Table 1 provides data
on typical feed consumption for modern brown-egg laying hens in relation to target body weight.
From Week 18, hens start to enter their laying period, reaching peak of lay around 32 weeks of
age, and typically maintaining egg production until 65-68 weeks of age. Feed intake will increase
to a steady level of 100-105 grams per day and hen body weight will reach a mature level of 1700-
1800 grams.

Table 1. Body weights and associated feed consumption for a brown-egg laying breed during the
growing period
Feed
Age Body Feed consumption Age Body
consumption
(wk) weight (g) (g/bird/day) (wk) weight (g)
(g/bird/day)
1 70 13 10 870-970 56
2 115 20 11 960-1080 61
3 190 25 12 1050-1117 66
4 280 29 13 1130-1250 70
5 380-390 33 14 1210-1310 73
6 480-500 37 15 1290-1370 75
7 580-620 41 16 1360-1430 77
8 680-750 46 17 1500-1540 80
9 770-860 51

Growing period nutrition recommendations

Chicks require a diet that can provide the nutrients needed for rapid growth and feather
development. Chicks are given relatively high levels of energy, protein and the vitamins and
minerals for the starter period. Once the chicks are fully feathered their energy requirements are
reduced. Feeding management for layer pullets aims to maintain a growth rate that will lead to the
pullet reaching sexual maturity at the desired age while avoiding obesity. The stage at which a
pullet will start laying eggs is affected by age, body weight and day length. On a percentage basis,
layer pullet diets have lower energy and protein levels than chick diets. Different breeders
recommend different feeding strategies for their birds, including the number of different diets fed
during the pullet growing stage. Many breeders recommend a pre-lay diet that increases some of
the nutrient levels, such as calcium, that will be required by the bird when it begins to lay eggs.
Table 2 provides data on typical nutrient levels for layer diets for the growing period.
Table 2. Growing period nutrition recommendations
Starter Grower Developer Pre-Layer
Nutrient Units
0 – 6 wks 6 – 12 wks 12 – 15 wks 15 wks – Prod.
Protein % Min 20.0 17.50 15.50 16.50
Metabolizable Energy Mj/Kg 11.5-12.4 11.5-12.6 11.3-12.4 11.4-12.4
Metabolizable Energy Kcal/Kg 2750-2970 2750-3025 2700-2970 2725-2980
Kcal/Lb 1250-1350 1250-1370 1225-1350 1235-1350
Lysine % Min 1.10 0.90 0.66 0.80
Methionine % Min 0.48 0.41 0.32 0.38
Methionine + Cystine % Min 0.82 0.71 0.58 0.65
Tryptophan % Min 0.20 0.19 0.18 0.19
Threonine % Min 0.73 0.55 0.52 0.55
Calcium % Min 1.00 1.00 1.00 2.75*
Av Phosphorus % Min 0.45 0.43 0.42 0.40
Sodium % Min 0.18 0.18 0.18 0.18
Chloride % Min 0.18 0.18 0.18 0.18
*At least 30-65% of the added limestone should have a minimum particle size of 2250 Microns.

Nutrient levels for layer diets

The aim of layer diets is to optimize egg production (in terms of egg numbers, egg size or
egg mass), provide the nutrition required to safeguard health and maintain the desired body
weight. As with layer pullets, different breeders recommend different feeding strategies for their
birds, including the number of different diets fed during the laying stage. Calcium is increased for
egg shell formation. Table 3 provides data on typical nutrient levels for layer diets.

Table 3. Examples of layer diets (at 100 grams per day intake level)
Nutrients Units 1-32 wks 32-44 wks 44-55 wks > 55 wks
Metabolizable MJ/kg 11.60-11.97 11.41-11.97 11.20-11.97 10.68-11.83
Energy kcal/kg 2770-2860 2725-2860 2675-2860 2550-2825
Crude protein % 19.80 17.50 17.00 16.00
Lysine % 1.02 0.93 0.89 0.83
Methionine % 0.51 0.46 0.41 0.38
Linoleic acid % 1.10 1.60 1.60 1.60
Calcium % 4.40 4.25 4.50 4.75
Av.phosphorous % 0.48 0.40 0.36 0.35
Reference: https://www.poultryhub.org/all-about-poultry/nutrition/nutrient-requirements-of-egg-
laying-chickens