Egg Quality
The LIB-fed hens produced eggs with higher shell
strength than the R-fed hens. Walzem et al. (1993) observed
higher incidence of egg shell abnormalities in
force fed than in control laying hens. However, in this
report the hen used were Single Comb White Leghorn
and were overfed to 150% of ad libitum consumption,
which may be responsible for the shell abnormalities
observed. Dietary fiber reduced yolk weight but did not
affect egg shell strength or egg shell thickness, in agreement
with Shang et al. (2010) who reported no effects
of inulin inclusion in egg quality of the laying hen. In
contrast, Chen and Chen (2004) observed that inulin
improved eggshell quality in laying hens, probably as
a result of an increase in calcium absorption. It is suggested
that dietary fiber improves the intestinal absorption
of minerals in poultry, presumably because of their
high binding and sequestering capacities (Roberfroid
et al., 2002). In fact, Jiménez-Moreno et al. (2009) re-