EN
The effect of a decreased level of fodder phosphate in the hens diet contained distillers dried grains with solubles (maize - mDDGS or rye - rDDGS) on laying performance, egg shell quality and mechanical parameters of tibia and humerus was studied in the experiment. It was conducted on 60 Lohman Brown hens from 26 to 68-weeks-of-age. Layers were divided into 5 experimental groups, with each of the 12 hens kept in individual cages. In the control group (I) layers were fed a standard cereal-soybean diet, in the experimental groups diets contained 20% mDDGS (groups II and IV) or rDDGS (groups III and V). The content of total phosphorus in mDDGS was 5.43 g • kg⁻¹ and w rDDGS - 4.95 g • kg⁻¹. Assuming that phosphorus availability in DDGS is high (90%), in groups IV and V the level of fodder phosphate in the diets was decreased by about 40% (from 14 g • kg⁻¹ to 9,5 or 10 g • kg⁻¹). Administering diets containing 20% mDDGS had no effect on laying performance or egg shell and bone quality. In the case of diets with 20% rDDGS a worsening of the laying rate and feed conversion were noted. A decrease of fodder phosphate levels in diets containing DDGS had no negative influence on performance, thickness, density and strength of egg shells and strength, elasticity and stiffness of the tibia and humerus. The obtained results indicated a possibility for decrease of fodder phosphate level in diets containing 20% mDDGS.