The effect of maize and maize oil on egg weight

Abstract

In two short‐term experiments involving about 1500 laying pullets it was confirmed that the direct substitution of maize for wheat in a laying diet leads to a small but significant increase in egg weight. It was further shown that when oat hulls were added to a diet containing 55 per cent maize to make it isocaloric with a diet containing 55 per cent wheat, there was still a significant improvement in egg weight with the maize diet. The addition of 2 ‐5 per cent and 5 per cent maize oil to a 55 per cent wheat diet resulted in increases in mean egg weight of 0.7 g. and 1.3 g. respectively. The same response to 2 .5 per cent maize oil was obtained when oat hulls were added to make the diet isocaloric with the basal diet. It is concluded that maize has an effect on egg weight which is not attributable to the differences in dietary energy normally associated with the substitution of one cereal for another in practical diets. The effect is associated specifically with the oil content of the maize.