A study presented at Poultry Science Latam 2026 associated the inclusion of 1% spray dried plasma with higher average egg production, increased feed intake, and no adverse effects on egg quality.
Nutrition plays an important role in the productive performance of laying hens. In this context, a study presented at Poultry Science Latam 2026 evaluated the effects of including spray dried plasma (SDP) in laying hen diets during peak production.
The research showed that the inclusion of 1% spray-dried plasma was associated with increased average egg production per hen and daily feed intake, without compromising the internal or external quality of the eggs.
How Was the Study Conducted?
The experiment was conducted at the Laboratory of Bromatology and Animal Nutrition at the Universidade Federal da Fronteira Sul (UFFS), in Erechim, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
A total of 108 Isa Brown laying hens, 33 weeks of age, were evaluated over 90 days. The birds were distributed among 36 cages, with three birds per cage, and evaluated across three experimental cycles.
The treatments compared a control diet with a diet containing 1% spray dried plasma. Parameters evaluated included productive performance, feed intake, feed conversion, body weight, and egg quality.
Key Results
The results indicated improvements in the productive performance of birds receiving the diet containing spray dried plasma.
- Average egg production: The supplemented group averaged 25.37 eggs per hen over the study period, compared with 24.26 in the control group.
- Daily feed intake: Feed intake was 149.00 g per hen per day in the plasma group, compared with 144.60 g in the control group.
- Feed conversion: A numerical improvement was observed, from 2.00 to 1.98 kg of feed per dozen eggs.
- Egg quality: Numerically higher values were observed for several characteristics, including egg weight, shell weight and thickness, and yolk color. These differences were not statistically significant (P > 0.05).
Spray Dried Plasma as a Nutritional Strategy
The results suggest that including 1% spray dried plasma may be a promising nutritional strategy for laying hens during peak production. Its inclusion was associated with higher average egg production and daily feed intake, as well as a numerical improvement in feed conversion.
At the same time, the main parameters of internal and external egg quality remained similar to those of the control group, with no evidence of adverse effects under the conditions evaluated.
Reference
Berenchtein, B.; Mazurek, C.; Prezotto, T.; Rangel, L.; Adama, J. J. (2026). Dietary Inclusion of Spray-Dried Porcine Plasma in Laying Hen Diets During Peak Production. PSA Latin American Scientific Conference.
For more information, please contact our Sales or Technical Services team.