| This study was carried out to evaluate the effects of dietary trace mineral levels and sources on egg quality parameters of second-cycle semi-heavy layers. A number of 360 72-week-old layers were submitted to forced molting. Upon return of lay (83 weeks of age), birds were distributed according to a completely randomized experimental design of six treatments with six replicates of 10 birds each. The control treatment consisted of 0.10% dietary supplementation of trace minerals from inorganic sources, which was proportionally replaced by five levels (110, 100, 90, 80, 70%) of an organic trace mineral supplement containing 30, 30, 40, 6, 0.61, and 0.3 g/kg product of Zn, Fe, Mn, Cu, I, and Se, respectively. All diets contained equal protein, energy, and... |
