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Abstract
The large-scale production of hatching eggs is the primary goal of the broiler breeder industry. Therefore, improving egg production is of great importance. Various feeding methods have been reported in the literature, and when compared to ad libitum feeding, restricted feeding during rearing and lay has been determined to be the most economical. Also, the effects of feeding methods have been determined to cause differences in reproductive and thyroid hormones. Finally, the present work evaluated the effects of a skip-a-day (SAD) feeding program and everyday (ED) feeding program during early lay following photostimulation until 8% egg production. The hens fed ED after photostimulation resulted in a 17 egg increase per hen suggesting SAD feeding during early lay is detrimental to future reproductive function. Therefore, ED feeding beginning at photostimulation is recommended to improve egg production in the broiler breeder industry. KEYWORDS: Broiler breeder hens, skip-a-day feeding, everyday feeding