VetSRev
Database of veterinary systematic reviews
Database of veterinary systematic reviews
Special Issue: Sustainable animal agriculture for developing countries 2019. (2022) 62: 1330–1343
DOI: 10.1071/AN20192
Context: Probiotics are attracting wide attention today as a non-antibiotic feed additive in layer feed, and the number of studies in this field is on the increase. However, the results of the effects of probiotic-yeast supplementation on egg-production indices in laying hens are contradictory. Aim: Therefore, the aim of the present study was to use meta-analytical methods to ascertain whether yeast-based diets improve feed intake (FI), feed conversion ratio (FCR), hen-day egg production (HDEP), egg mass (EM), egg weight (EW), Haugh unit (HU) and eggshell thickness (EST) in laying hens. Methods: A search of four electronic databases for studies on the impact of yeast supplementation on egg-production indices published in English using a combination of search terms yielded 164 studies. Sixteen research publications with 20 771 laying hens met the criteria for inclusion in the meta-analysis. Data were pooled via random-effects model and are presented as standardised mean differences (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for each effect size. Key results: HDEP and EM showed a significant increase in the SMD of 11.3% (95% CI: 0.037-0.118, P = 0.003) and 22.5 g egg/hen.day (95% CI: 0.095-0.356, P \textless 0.001) respectively. Subgroup analysis showed that EST, EM, HDEP and FCR were improved in laying hens that received a yeast-based diet at \textless5 g/kg feed, compared with the group that received a yeast-based diet at \textgreater5 g/kg feed. The results indicated that trial country was a predictor of FI, FCR, EM, HDEP and EST in layers fed yeast-based rations. Conclusion: These results suggest that feeding probiotic-yeast at \textless5 g/kg feed improved FCR, HDEP and EM in laying hens. Implications: The results of the present meta-analysis will help poultry nutritionists develop the guidelines for standardising the experimental designs of future experiments on the use of probiotic yeast to enhance the productivity of laying hens.
Ogbuewu, I. P., Mbajiorgu, C. A., Liang, J. B., & Wynn, P. (2022). Meta-analysis of the effect of probiotic-yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) intervention on feed intake, feed efficiency and egg-production indices in laying hens. Special Issue: Sustainable Animal Agriculture for Developing Countries 2019., 62(14), 1330–1343. https://doi.org/10.1071/AN20192 meta-analysis, performance traits, diets, feed conversion, liveweight, statistical analysis, literature reviews, feeds, productivity, poultry, egg mass, egg weight, feed conversion efficiency, feed intake, hens, laying performance, feed additives, databases, probiotics, egg production, eggs, hen feeding, Yeasts, egg quality, egg shell thickness, Ovum, Saccharomyces cerevisiae