The Effect of Pharmacological Levels of Dietary Vanadium on the Egg Production, Shell Thickness and Egg Yolk Cholesterol in Laying Hens and Coturnix YOUSSEF S. M. H A F E Z AND F . H .
KRATZER
Department of Avian Sciences, University of California, Davis, California 95616 (Received for publication August 1, 1975)
ABSTRACT The addition of 100 p.p.m. of vanadium to a ration for White Leghorn laying hens caused a significant increase (p < 0.01) in the egg shell thickness, but did not cause any significant change in the egg production, egg weight or egg yolk cholesterol content. The addition of 300 p.p.m. of vanadium caused a severe depression in the egg production which was the only symptom of vanadium toxicity to be observed. The addition of 50, 100, 200 or 300 p.p.m. vanadium to the ration of laying coturnix did not cause any significant change in egg production, egg weight or egg yolk cholesterol content. The addition of the same levels of vanadium to one-day old male coturnix chicks did not cause any significant growth depression or mortality. We suggest that coturnix may be more resistant to vanadium toxicity than chickens. POULTRY SCIENCE 55: 923-926, 1976
cholesterol in eggs laid by hens fed pharmacological levels of dietary vanadium. Our main objective in this study was to determine the effect of dietary vanadium on egg production, egg shell thickness, and egg yolk cholesterol.
INTRODUCTION
H
ATHCOCK et al. (1964) showed that in growing chicks a high percentage of injected vanadium was deposited in the bones. From this information Summers and Moran (1972) suggested that vanadium absorption and metabolism may be associated with that of calcium and/or phosphorus. They speculated that if an interaction existed between vanadium and calcium and if vanadium was deposited along with, or in association with, calcium, vanadium might have some influence on egg shell quality. They studied the effects of 4 and 8 p.p.m. of vanadium on growing chicks and reported no significant differences in blood phosphorus or bone ash levels. Reports that pharmacological levels of vanadium lowered tissue cholesterol levels have been reviewed by Curran and Burch (1967) and Underwood (1971). They related the altered cholesterol levels to the ability of vanadium to inhibit cholesterol biosynthesis. However, vanadium has not been observed to lower blood cholesterol in older animals and in older humans where elevated cholesterol levels may be a health problem. There have not been any reports in the literature concerning the level of egg yolk
EXPERIMENTAL METHODS Experiment 1. Eighteen laying White Leghorn hens of about 28 weeks of age were TABLE 1.—Composition of the basal diet, for experiments 1 and 2
Ingredients Ground milo Ground corn Soybean meal (50% protein) Limestone Alfalfa meal (20% protein) Fish meal (66% protein) Dried whey products Dicalcium phosphate (20%) Salt (iodized) Manganese sulfate (70%) Zinc oxide Micro-mixture(1>
% 47.9 20.0 12.5 5.5 5.0 4.55 2.5 1.7 0.275 0.02 0.005 0.05
(,) Micro-mixture (per Kg. diet): vitamin A (stabilized), 4400 I.U.; vitamin D 3 , 1100 I.C.U.; alpha tocopheryl, 5.5 I.U.; menadione sodium bisulfite, 3.3 mg.; riboflavin, 4.4 mg.; niacin 11 mg.; calcium pantothenate 5.5 mg.; folacin, 0.55 mg.; vitamin B l 2 , 0.0044 mg.; santoquin, 55 mg.
923
924
Y. S. M. HAFEZ AND F. H. KRATZER
TABLE 2.—The effect of feeding vanadium to hens on their egg production, egg weight, shell thickness and egg yolk cholesterol, (experiment 1) Vanadium added p.p.m. None 100 300
%Egg production Av. ± S.E.M. 72.3 ± 4.3 72.7 ± 3.6 24.0 ± 2.5
KRATZER
Department of Avian Sciences, University of California, Davis, California 95616 (Received for publication August 1, 1975)
ABSTRACT The addition of 100 p.p.m. of vanadium to a ration for White Leghorn laying hens caused a significant increase (p < 0.01) in the egg shell thickness, but did not cause any significant change in the egg production, egg weight or egg yolk cholesterol content. The addition of 300 p.p.m. of vanadium caused a severe depression in the egg production which was the only symptom of vanadium toxicity to be observed. The addition of 50, 100, 200 or 300 p.p.m. vanadium to the ration of laying coturnix did not cause any significant change in egg production, egg weight or egg yolk cholesterol content. The addition of the same levels of vanadium to one-day old male coturnix chicks did not cause any significant growth depression or mortality. We suggest that coturnix may be more resistant to vanadium toxicity than chickens. POULTRY SCIENCE 55: 923-926, 1976
cholesterol in eggs laid by hens fed pharmacological levels of dietary vanadium. Our main objective in this study was to determine the effect of dietary vanadium on egg production, egg shell thickness, and egg yolk cholesterol.
INTRODUCTION
H
ATHCOCK et al. (1964) showed that in growing chicks a high percentage of injected vanadium was deposited in the bones. From this information Summers and Moran (1972) suggested that vanadium absorption and metabolism may be associated with that of calcium and/or phosphorus. They speculated that if an interaction existed between vanadium and calcium and if vanadium was deposited along with, or in association with, calcium, vanadium might have some influence on egg shell quality. They studied the effects of 4 and 8 p.p.m. of vanadium on growing chicks and reported no significant differences in blood phosphorus or bone ash levels. Reports that pharmacological levels of vanadium lowered tissue cholesterol levels have been reviewed by Curran and Burch (1967) and Underwood (1971). They related the altered cholesterol levels to the ability of vanadium to inhibit cholesterol biosynthesis. However, vanadium has not been observed to lower blood cholesterol in older animals and in older humans where elevated cholesterol levels may be a health problem. There have not been any reports in the literature concerning the level of egg yolk
EXPERIMENTAL METHODS Experiment 1. Eighteen laying White Leghorn hens of about 28 weeks of age were TABLE 1.—Composition of the basal diet, for experiments 1 and 2
Ingredients Ground milo Ground corn Soybean meal (50% protein) Limestone Alfalfa meal (20% protein) Fish meal (66% protein) Dried whey products Dicalcium phosphate (20%) Salt (iodized) Manganese sulfate (70%) Zinc oxide Micro-mixture(1>
% 47.9 20.0 12.5 5.5 5.0 4.55 2.5 1.7 0.275 0.02 0.005 0.05
(,) Micro-mixture (per Kg. diet): vitamin A (stabilized), 4400 I.U.; vitamin D 3 , 1100 I.C.U.; alpha tocopheryl, 5.5 I.U.; menadione sodium bisulfite, 3.3 mg.; riboflavin, 4.4 mg.; niacin 11 mg.; calcium pantothenate 5.5 mg.; folacin, 0.55 mg.; vitamin B l 2 , 0.0044 mg.; santoquin, 55 mg.
923
924
Y. S. M. HAFEZ AND F. H. KRATZER
TABLE 2.—The effect of feeding vanadium to hens on their egg production, egg weight, shell thickness and egg yolk cholesterol, (experiment 1) Vanadium added p.p.m. None 100 300
%Egg production Av. ± S.E.M. 72.3 ± 4.3 72.7 ± 3.6 24.0 ± 2.5
