Effect of Cellulose and Cholesterol on Blood and Yolk Lipids and Reproductive Efficiency of the Hen

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Abstract
One hundred twenty leghorn pullets, selected at 27 weeks of age on the basis of individual serum cholesterol analyses, were used to investigate the effect of cellulose and cholesterol intake on serum and yolk cholesterol, serum lipoproteins, yolk triglycerides, and reproductive efficiency of the hen. The birds were allotted to two replicates of a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of dietary treatments consisting of a standard layer diet with and without cholesterol and a layer diet containing 15% cellulose with and without cholesterol. Serum and yolk samples were obtained from each hen at the end of each of seven 4-week periods. Serum beta and prebeta lipoproteins and yolk triglycerides were analyzed from individual samples taken at the end of the 29-week experiment. Increasing the dietary fiber level from 4.1 to 17.7% by the addition of cellulose reduced serum cholesterol but increased the cholesterol concentration in the yolk. Differences in yolk triglyceride levels were not significant, regardless of dietary treatment. Serum beta and prebeta lipoproteins were significantly correlated with serum cholesterol. Dietary cellulose exerted an adverse effect on body weight, egg production, egg and yolk weight, and feed consumption of hens in comparison with hens fed a standard layer diet.

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