Vol. 9, Special Issue 2, Part I (2025)

This study aimed to investigate the impact of a climate-resilient feeding strategy, specifically the utilization of cold pellets, on the laying performance of commercial egg-type chickens. The experiment involved 96 commercial white leghorn layers were allocated to two experimental groups, one receiving the mash diet and the other cold pellet diet (prepared without steam) over a 40-week period. Various parameters, including egg production, egg quality, average daily feed intake, feed efficiency, nutrient metabolizability, tibial bone ash, and gene expression related to nutrient transporters (Maltase, GLUT 2, Aminopeptidase, and bo,+AT), were assessed. The cold pellet feeding strategy demonstrated notable improvements in egg production, egg weight, and feed efficiency within the pellet fed group without compromising egg quality. Notably, the cold pellet-fed birds exhibited less variation in feed intake, indicating the feeding strategy's resilience to environmental stress. Mineral retention, as evidenced by metabolizability of total ash and tibial ash content, was higher in the pellet fed group. The pellet fed group also exhibited increased relative expression of enzymes involved in carbohydrate digestion and protein, along with enhanced glucose transporter expression. Economic assessments, including egg feed price ratio (EPFR) and cost per dozen eggs (CPE), confirmed the cost-effectiveness of the cold pellet feeding strategy for egg-type chickens. These findings underscore the potential benefits of this strategy in terms of both production enhancement and economic viability.