Intermittent Watering and Feeding Programs for White

Leghorn Layers1
R. J. S P I L L E R , 2 R. W . DORMINEY 3 AND G. H . ARSCOTT
Department of Poultry Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331
(Received for publication January 28, 1976)

ABSTRACT Three experiments were conducted to determine the effects of intermittent

watering on White Leghorn layers. In addition in Exp. 2 the performance of layers subjected
to intermittent feeding was also compared with the performance of control and intermittently
watered layers. Providing hens two 1-hour or three 15-minute watering periods per day, after
5 months of lay on an ad lib. watering program, reduced egg production, feed per hen-day
and weight gain, but had no effect on average egg weight (Exp. 1). When the three 15-minute
watering periods were initiated prior to laying (Exp. 3), there was no effect on egg production,
egg specific gravity or Haugh units; however, feed per hen-day, per egg, and per gram of
egg, and average egg weight were reduced by 5.0, 11.0, 0.1, and 2.6 g., respectively. Providing
five 15-minute watering periods per day had no effect on egg production, average egg weight
or mortality. However, in two comparisons with controls (Exp. 2 & 3), feed per hen-day,
per egg, and per gram of egg were reduced by 0.3 and 3.0, 7.7 and 9.0, and 0.14 and 0.17
g., respectively. Scheduling one 15-minute watering period each hour had no effect on egg
production, feed intake or weight gain. Providing layers two 2-hour feeding periods per day
significantly reduced feed consumption and weight gain, but had no significant effect on average
egg weight or on egg production as compared to controls with feed and water ad lib. Haugh
unit scores were higher when compared to the intermittent water treatments.
POULTRY SCIENCE 55: 1871-1881, 1976

REVIEW OF LITERATURE vided water for five 15-minute and five 25-

I
NTERMITTENT watering of White Leg-
horn (W.L.) layers has consistently result-
ed in improved feed efficiency (Maxwell and
Lyle, 1957; Hill, 1969; and Hill and Richards,
1969.), but effects on egg production are less
clear. Maxwell and Lyle (1957), who provided
three 15-minute watering periods per day, and
Wilson et al. (1965), providing two 2-hour
periods per day, reported increased egg pro-
duction in the intermittently watered hens.
Hill (1969) and Hill and Richards (1969) pro-
1. Technical Paper No. 4073. Oregon Agricultural
Experiment Station. This paper was developed in part
from a thesis submitted by R. J. Spiller, a Chester
M. Wilcox Memorial Scholarship recipient (1971-73),
to the Graduate School, Oregon State University in
partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Ph.D.
degree.
2. Present Address: Chilson's Management Con-
trols, Modesto, California 95351.
3. Deceased. Prior to his death he was a member
of the Department of Poultry Science, Virginia Poly-
technic Institute and State University, Blacksburg,
Virginia 24061.
minute periods per day and found that inter-
mittent watering had no effect on egg produc-
tion when initiated at 93 weeks of age and
on the 169th day of lay, respectively.
However, when intermittent watering was
initiated at 41 weeks of age and on the first
day of lay, respectively, hen-day egg produc-
tion was reduced. Salverson (1959) and
Knight (1970) reported no adverse effects
from intermittent watering when they provid-
ed water for 15 minutes in a 60-minute period,
for 30 minutes in a 120-minute period, or
for six 30-minute periods per day. Wilson
et al. (1965), reported reduced egg production
from the intermittently watered layers when
one 2-hour watering period per day was
provided.
Intermittent watering has also been shown
to affect fecal dry matter content, internal
egg quality and the cleanliness of waterers.
Maxwell and Lyle (1957), provided hens three
15-minute watering periods per day, and Wil-
son et al. (1965), provided one 2-hour watering
period per day, and found that intermittent

1871
1872 R. J. SPILLER, R. W. DORMINEY AND G. H. ARSCOTT
watering increased the dry matter content of
the feces. Wilson et al. (1965) reported, with
one 2-hour watering period per day, a Haugh
unit improvement of 5.4 in albumen quality
of eggs laid by intermittently watered hens.
Salverson (1959), Hill (1969) and Knight
(1970) found that the water troughs of inter-
mittently watered layers were easier to keep
clean.
The results of intermittent feeding of W.L.
layers have been inconsistent. Patel and Mc-
Ginnis (1970) and McGinnis and Patel (1971)
provided hens two 2-hour feeding periods per
day and reported a 9 to 16% reduction in
feed intake, weight gain and egg size but no
adverse effect on egg production. Polin and
Wolford (1972) found that layers provided
two 1.5-hour feeding periods, two 2-hour
feeding periods or one 4-hour feeding period
per day laid at a significantly lower rate than
the control group. Providing two 2.5-hour
feeding periods had no significant effect on
production. Harrison (1972) when reducing
feeding time to two 2-hour feeding periods
per day, observed a reduction in feed intake
with little effect on egg production. Johnston
et al. (1973) observed a 2.5, 1.1 and 1.3%
reduction in egg production when layers were
provided two 2-hour feeding periods per day
through three lay cycles, respectively. Patel
and McGinnis (1970), Polin and Wolford
(1972), Johnston et al. (1973) and Harrison
(1972) have all observed some reduction in
average egg weight when employing intermit-
tent feeding programs.
The primary objective of this study was
to investigate the effect of various intermit-
tent watering regimes. In addition, intermit-
tent watering programs were compared with
an intermittent feeding program similar to that
employed by Patel and McGinnis (1970) and
McGinnis and Patel (1971).
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Three experiments were conducted during
the years 1971-1974. The following common
procedures apply to all three experiments.
Birds were housed in cages, three birds to
a 43.2 x 43.2 cm. cage. Water troughs were
made from 4.88 m. lengths of 2.54 cm. PVC
plastic pipe which had been cut lengthwise.
Solenoid valves and time clocks were used
to regulate water flow.
All birds were individually weighed at the
beginning and the end of the experiment. All
production records were maintained by 28-
day periods. Feed consumption was deter-
mined by weighing back feed on the morning
of the first day of each 28-day period. In
Exp. 1 and 2, average egg weight was deter-
mined by individually weighing all eggs laid
during the last 3 days of each 28-day period.
For Exp. 3, all eggs laid during the middle
3 days of each 28-day period were weighed.
Eggs were weighed to the nearest one-tenth
gram. 4 Egg mass (grams of egg produced/
replicate) was calculated by multiplying
the 3-day sample average egg weight times
the number of eggs laid for the 28-day period.
Egg size was determined by classifying the
eggs according to individual weight in the
following categories: (1) Jumbo, 70.9 g. and
up; (2) Extra Large, 63.8 to 70.8 g.; (3) Large,
56.7 to 63.7 g.; (4) Medium, 49.6 to 56.6 g.;
(5) Small, 42.5 to 49.5 g.; and (6) Peewee,
42.4 g. and below. Percentages were calculat-
ed from the number of eggs included in each
size category.
Specific gravity and albumen quality were
studied in Exp. 1 and 2. Specific gravity was
determined by the procedure described by
Arscott and Bernier (1961), using aqueous
salt solutions scaled from 1.052 to 1.104 in
increments of 0.004. After eggs from the
3-day sample had been dipped in the specific
gravity solutions and individually weighed,
they were broken on a table designed for
examining egg quality. The albumen height
4. Mettler gram scale, Model P-1000 (Mettler Scale
Co., San Francisco, Cal.).
 INTERMITTENT WATERING AND FEEDING PROGRAMS 1873

was measured with a micrometer. 3 Haugh TABLE 1.—Composition of experimental diets

units were calculated on an Egg Quality Slide
Ingredients Exp. 1 Exp. 2 Exp. 3
Rule, 6 using albumen height and egg weight.
%
Data collected from all experiments were Corn, ground yellow 67.65 72.00 72.65
submitted to an analysis of variance and Fat, animal' 1.00 — —
Duncan's new multiple range test (Steel and Fish meal (70% pro-
Torrie, 1960). Since the pullets utilized in tein) — 3.00 —
Meat & bone meal
Exp. 2 had been subjected to various treat-
(50% protein) — — 5.00
ments in the brooder house; data from this Soybean meal (44%
experiment were analyzed by means of a three protein) 20.00 13.75 12.62
factor analysis of variance. Alfalfa meal (20%
In Exp. 1, 126 Oregon State University protein) 3.00 3.00 2.50
Limestone flour 5.60 2.50 3.08
W.L. hens 7 which had been in lay for ap-
Oyster shell — 3.00 2.50
proximately 5 months, were subjected to one Dicalcium phos-
of three treatments. Group 1, the control, phate 2.00 2.00 1.00
had water in the free-flow water troughs Salt, iodized 0.50 0.50 0.40
concurrently with light (7:30 a.m. to 10:30 Vitamin-trace min-
p.m.). Group 2, were provided two 1-hour eral mix # 2 2 0.25 0.25 0.25
Calculated Analyses
watering periods daily (8:30-9:30 a.m., and Crude protein (%) 15.83 15.47 15.32
5:30-6:30 p.m.). Group 3 had access to water Methionine (%) 0.27 0.29 0.26
during three 15-minute periods daily at 8:00 M.E. (kcal./kg.) 2895.00 2924.00 2912.00
a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Feed for the kcal, / kg.: % protein 182.90 189.00 190.10
1
three treatments was available ad libitum. Fancy tallow stabilized with G-16 (Griffith Lab.,
All production records were maintained for Chicago, Illinois) which is composed of butylated
a preliminary and five experimental 28-day hydroxytoluene, 14%; propyl gallate, 5%; pro-
plyeneglycol, 2%; monoglyceride citrate, 35%; and
periods. All hens received a ration calculated vegetable oil, 36%.
to contain 15.83% crude protein (C.P.) and 2
Contributes/kg. of ration the following: Vit.
2895 kcal. M.E./kg. (Table 1). A, 3,300 I.U.; Vit. D, 1,100 I.C.U.; riboflavin,
The 145 O.S.U. W.L. pullets utilized in 2.2 mg.; d-pantothenic acid, 5.5 mg.; niacin, 16.5
mg.: choline, 95.4 mg.; Vit. B12, 4.4 mg.; Vit. E,
Exp. 2 were subjected to one of four different
1.10 I.U.; Vit. K, 0.25 mg.; Mn, 59.9 mg.; Fe,
treatments. These pullets were housed at 20 20.1 mg.; Cu, 1.98 mg.; Co, 0.10 mg.; I 2 , 1.2 mg.;
weeks of age and provided light from 7:45 Zn, 27.5mg.;BHT, 125 mg.
a.m. to 12:00 midnight. All birds were fed
a diet containing 15.47% C.P. and 2924 kcal.
of M.E./kg. (Table 1). Group 1, the control, 3 was fed ad lib. and provided five 15-minute
was fed ad lib. with water available concur- watering periods per day at 8:00 a.m., 11:30
rently with light. Group 2 was fed ad lib. a.m., 3:00 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.
and was provided a 15-minute watering period Group 4 was provided water as per Group
each hour from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Group 1 and had access to feed from 8:00 a.m. to
10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Inter-
mittent feeding was accomplished by man-
5. Manufactured by B. C. Ames Co., Waltham, ually removing the lids covering the feed
Mass. troughs. All production records were main-
6. Designed by A. W. Brant and K. H. Norris.
tained for ten 28-day periods, beginning when
7. The W.L. hens were the progeny of a rotational
strain cross involving three distinct lines maintained the pullets were 24 weeks of age and laying
at the Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station. at a rate of 45%.
1874 R. J. SPILLER, R. W. DORMINEY AND G. H. ARSCOTT

TABLE 2.—Performance of hens subjected to intermittent watering—Exp. V

Avg.
hen-day Weight Feed/ Avg. Feed/ Feed/
2
Group egg prod. gain hen-day egg wt. egg g. egg Mort.
% 8- g- g- g- g- %
l3 58.4a 109.8a 114.1a 62.2a 195.4a 3.19a 4.76a
2 4 51.8b 16.0a 100.9a 62.5a 194.8a 3.12a 2.44a
35 48.7b 15.3a 101.4a 63.1a 208.0a 3.30a 4.76a
'Values with differing lowercase superscripts are significantly different (P < .05).
2
Each group consisted of 14 replicates of three birds each.
'Group 1 served as the control.
"Group 2 had access to water from 8:30-9:30 A.M. and 5:30-6:30 P.M.
'Group 3 had access to water for 15-minute periods at 8:00 A.M., 1:30 P.M., and 6:30 P.M.

The 144 Babcock B-300 pullets 8 utilized 1. Providing water for two 1-hour or three
in Exp. 3 were subjected to one of four 15-minute periods per day after five months
treatments. Group 1, the control, was provid- of lay on ad lib. water resulted in a significant
ed water concurrent with light (8:00 a.m. to decline (P < .05) in hen-day egg production.
12:15 a.m.); Group 2 had access to water Egg production of birds provided two 1-hour
for 15 minutes each hour from 8:15 a.m. to watering periods declined sharply during the
11:15 p.m.; Group 3 had access to water first 28-day period (Fig. 1), but then increased
during five 15-minute periods per day at 3.5 each succeeding period until it nearly equalled
hour intervals (8:15 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 3:15 that of the control during the fourth 28-day
p.m., 6:45 p.m. and 10:15 p.m.). Group 4 period. When access to water was limited
had access to water during three 15-minute to three 15-minute periods per day, egg pro-
watering periods daily at 5.5 hour intervals duction declined for the first two 28-day
(8:15 a.m., 1:45 p.m., and 6:45 p.m.). All periods, but then climbed to nearly equal that
treatments were fed a ration containing of the controls by the fourth 28-day period.
15.32% C.P. and 2912 kcal. of M.E./kg.
(Table 1). Feed was available ad lib. All
production records were maintained for nine
28-day periods beginning when the pullets
were 24 weeks of age and laying at a rate
of 38% production. A limited number of fecal
samples (ca 20 paired collections) were col-
lected in Exp. 3 for dry matter determination
on circular pans, 31.8 cm. in diameter, sus-
pended beneath the cages for a 24 hour period.
Control
The collection pans.were then placed in a
Two 1-Hour periods per day
drying oven at 102° C. for 36 hours.
Three 15 Min. perVods per day

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Prelim. 2 3
Experiment 1. The performance of these 28-DAY PERIOD

hens is summarized in Table 2 and Figure

FIG. 1. Egg production curve of hens subjected
8. Provided gratuitously by Skylane Farms, Wood- to intermittent watering during a preliminary 28-day
burn, Oregon and Babcock Industries, Ithaca, New period, and during five, 28-day experimental
York for which appreciation is expressed. periods—Exp. 1.
 INTERMITTENT WATERING AND FEEDING PROGRAMS 1875

The egg production of some three-bird repli-
cates in the restricted groups was unaffected
while others dropped to below 20%, with
many hens going into a molt. On the other
hand, no adverse effect on egg production
was reported by Maxwell and Lyle (1957)
when they alternated 6 week durations of
water ad lib, and three 15-minute periods
daily. Strain differences could possibly ac-
count for the dissimilarity in results.
Differences in the average weight gained
during the 20 week experimental period were
not statistically significant, due to the incon-
sistent response of the hens to intermittent
watering. However, the control hens gained
an average of 110 g. while the two intermit-
tently watered groups gained only 16.0 and
15.3 g.
Average feed intake per hen-day was 114.1,
100.9, and 101.4 g. for the control, and for
those with two 1-hour and three 15-minute
periods, respectively. Thus, the two intermit-
tent watering regimes resulted in feed savings
of 11.6 and 11.1%, respectively. Hens pro-
vided two 1-hour watering periods daily con-
sumed 0.6 and 0.07 g. less feed per egg and
per gram of egg, respectively, than did the
control group, even though their hen-day egg
production was 6.6% lower. No significant
differences in average egg weight and mortal-
ity were observed.
Significant differences in both internal and
external quality were observed in Exp. 1.
The specific gravity determinations are
shown in Table 3. Eggs from both intermit-
tently watered groups had significantly higher
values (P < .05) than the control (Group 1)
during period 2. Hens provided with three
15-minute watering periods daily (Group 3)
laid eggs with higher specific gravity during
the third and fourth 28-day periods. Albumen
quality values are summarized in Table 4 and
show that the group with three 15-minute
periods laid eggs of significantly superior
albumen quality during the third, fourth, and
fifth 28-day periods.

TABLE 3.—Specific gravity of eggs from intermittently watered hens—Exp. V

Specific Gravity by periods
Group 2 Prelim. 1 2 3 4 5
l3 1.0850a 1.0806a 1.0768b 1.0791b 1.0777b 1.0773a
2 4 1.0835a 1.0810a 1.0805a 1.0783b 1.0782b 1.0786a
V 1.0833a 1.0808a 1.0794a 1.0813a 1.0812a 1.0806a
'Values with differing lowercase superscripts are significantly different (P < .05).
2
Each group consisted of two replicates of 21 birds each.
'Group 1 served as the control.
"Group
5
2 had access to water from 8:30-9:30 A.M. and 5:30-6:30 P.M.
Group 3 had access to water for 15-minute periods at 8:00 A.M., 1:30 P.M. and 6:30 P.M.

TABLE 4.—Albumen quality of eggs from iIntermittently watered hens—Exp. 1'

Haugh Units by periods

Group 2 Prelim. 1 2 3 4 5
l3 83.4a 81.9a 81.0a 81.0B 76.0B 74.4b
2 4 82.7a 81.5a 81.1a 83.4AB 78.5AB 78.2ab
35 83.7a 82.2a 82.4a 86.3A 81.0A 79.9a
'Values with differing uppercase superscripts are significantly different (P < .01); different lowercase
superscripts
2
indicate significance at P < .05.
3
Each group consisted of 14 replicates of three birds each.
Group 1 served as the control.
"Group 2 had access to water from 8:30-9:30 A.M. and 5:30-6:30 P.M.
"Group 3 had access to water for 15-minute periods at 8:00 A.M., 1:30 P.M. and 6:30 P.M.
1876 R. J. SPILLER, R. W. DORMINEY AND G. H. ARSCOTT

TABLE 5.—Performance of White Leghorn pullets subjected to intermittent watering or feeding—Exp. 2'

Hen-day Avg. egg Wt.

Treatment2 egg prod.3 wt.4 gain5 Mort.
% g. g. %
Control 70.5ab 60.7b 699a 11.1a
15-min. H 2 0/hr. 74.6a 63.1a 698a ll.la
15-min. H 2 0 (five times/day) 73.4ab 61.5ab 544b 13.9a
Two, 2-hr. feedings 66.7b 61.0b 498b 19.5a
Egg/ Feed/ Feed/ Feed/
Treatment hen-day hen-day6 egg7 g. egg8
g- g- g- g-
Control 42.29a 114.4a 162.7ab 2.69a
15-min. H 2 0/hr. 46.78a 124.0a 167.4a 2.67a
15-min. H 2 0 (five times/day) 44.80a 114.1ab 115.0b 2.55b
Two, 2-hr. feedings 40.27a 109.7b 166.6a 2.76a
1
2
Values with differing lowercase superscripts are significantly different (P < .05).
3
Each treatment consisted of 12 replicates of three birds each.
4
Avg. of hen-day egg production for the ten 28-day periods.
Avg. of egg wt. for the ten 28-day periods.
'Avg. wt. gained per pullet during the 40-week experiment.
6
Total feed consumed/total number of hen-days for the 40-week experiment.
'Total
8
feed consumed/total number of eggs laid during the 40-week experiment.
Total feed consumed/total g. of egg for the 40-week experiment.

Wilson et al. (1965) observed a 5.4 Haugh
unit increase in albumen quality when hens
were limited to one 2-hour watering period
per day. In this study, intermittently watered
hens laid eggs with better interior and exterior
quality. However, it was not possible to
determine if the improvement in interior and
exterior egg quality was due to intermittent
watering, or the hens molting and subse-
quently returning to production. Because the
significantly higher Haugh unit and specific
gravity values of eggs laid by intermittently
watered hens were observed concurrently
with the period of time that molted hens were
returning to production (third, fourth and fifth
4-week periods), it is not possible to attribute
the improvements in quality to intermittent
watering per se. as will be noted in Exp.
2.
Experiment 2. The performance of pullets
subjected to intermittent watering or feeding
is summarized in Table 5. The intermittent
feeding of O. S. U. W. L. pullets for two 2-hour
periods daily tended to reduce their hen-day
egg production in comparison with the control
group (70.5 vs. 66.7%). Patel and McGinnis
(1970) observed no decline in egg production
when limiting feeding time in a manner similar
to that used in this study. Polin and Wolford
(1972), however, observed that hens given
two 2-hour meals daily laid 8% fewer eggs.
Hen-day egg production of 70.5, 74.6 and
73.4% was recorded for the control, and the
groups with water 15-minutes each hour, and
five 15-minute watering periods, respectively.
These differences were not statistically sig-
nificant.
Hens receiving 15-minutes of water each
hour laid significantly heavier (P < .05) eggs
(Table 5) than the control and the group with
two 2-hour feeding periods. Average egg
weight for the control and those with five
15-minute watering periods was 60.7 and 61.5
g., respectively. These values show that in-
termittent watering in this study did not have
an adverse effect on average egg weight. Also
in comparison with the control, average egg
weight was not altered by intermittent feed-
ing. Patel and McGinnis (1970) and Polin and
 INTERMITTENT WATERING AND FEEDING PROGRAMS
Wolford (1972) observed lower egg weight
when hens were provided with two 2-hour
feeding periods per day; however, Harrison
(1972) utilizing the same feeding regime, ob-
served no difference in egg weight.
Layers provided with two 2-hour feeding
periods or five 15-minute watering periods
gained significantly less weight (P < .05)
during the 40-week lay period than the control
or those with 15-minutes water per hour. This
would indicate that a greater percentage of
the feed consumed by the intermittently wa-
tered (five 15-minute periods per day) pullets
was converted into eggs rather than weight
gain.
Mortality for the four treatments was not
significantly different. However, mortality
for the intermittently fed layers reached
19.5%. The high mortality for this group
reduced the cumulative hen-housed egg pro-
duction to 55.7%. The other three treatments
all laid above 66% on a hen-housed basis.
There were no statistically significant dif-
ferences in egg mass produced, however, the
groups provided water 15-minutes each hour
or five times daily, respectively, produced
10 and 5.9% more egg mass per hen-day than
did the control group (Table 5). These dif-
ferences resulted from the higher hen-day
egg production and average egg weight ob-
served in both intermittently watered groups.
Intermittent watering did not result in a
significant reduction in feed intake in this
experiment. On the contrary, those pullets
TABLE 6.—Effects of intermittent watering and feeding programs on egg size distribution—Exp. 2'
Peewee
Treatment2 & small Medium
% %
Control 4.04a 20.05ab
15-min. H 2 0/hr. 1.33a 15.04b
15-min. H 2 0 (five
times/day) 1.33a 20.70ab
Two, 2-hr. feedings 1.71a 22.51a
'Values with differing lowercase superscripts are significantly different
2
Each treatment consisted of 12 replicates of three birds each.
1877
provided water 15-minutes each hour con-
sumed 10 g. more feed per hen-day, laid
heavier eggs (63.1 vs. 60.7 g.) and produced
at a higher rate (74.6 vs. 70.5%) than did
the control. Although not statistically signifi-
cant, the five 15-minute watering periods and
the intermittent feeding groups consumed 0.3
and 4.7 g., respectively, less feed per hen
day than did the control group.
Significant differences (P < .05) in feed
conversion were observed in Exp. 2 (Table
5). Layers provided five 15-minute watering
periods required 7.7, 12.7, and 11.6 g. less
feed to produce an egg than the control, the
15-minutes water per hour and the intermit-
tently fed groups, respectively. Providing five
15-minute watering periods resulted in signif-
icantly less (P < .05) feed consumed (0.14,
0.12 and 0.21 g., respectively) to produce
a gram of egg than the other treatments. Hill
(1969) utilizing a similar watering regime, also
observed an improvement in feed efficiency.
Table 6 summarizes the effects of treatment
on distribution of egg size. Layers provided
water for 15-minutes each hour tended to
lay fewer medium and large eggs, and more
extra-large and jumbo eggs. This finding
corresponds with the significantly heavier
average egg weight observed with this treat-
ment. Upon periodic observation, it was
noted that all intermittently watered birds first
satisfied their thirst when the solenoid valve
opened, and then began to actively consume
feed. One of the advantages claimed for
Egg size
Large Extra-large Jumbo
% % %
46.64a 25.04a 4.24a
40.91a 34.68a 8.06a
45.38a 30.53a 2.07a
46.24a 26.75a 2.80a
(P < .05).
1878 R. J. SPILLER, R. W . DORMINEY AND G. H . ARSCOTT

TABLE 7.—Specific gravity of eggs from findings would suggest that the significant
intermittent water and feeding programs—Exp. 2 effects observed in Exp. 1 (Tables 3 and 4)
were due to hens molting and subsequently
Sp. Gr.
returning to production rather than the inter-
Treatment 2 Pd. 1 Pd. 5 Pd. 9
mittent watering treatments.
Control 1.0816A 1.0801 A 1.0786A
15-min. H 2 0 / h r . 1.0826A 1.0802A 1.0777A
15-min. H 2 0 (five Experiment 3. The performance of the in-
times/day) 1.0835A 1.0816A 1.0783A termittently watered Babcock B-300 pullets
Two, 2-hr. feedings 1.0812A 1.0818A 1.0807A is presented in Table 9. Pullets provided with
1
Values with differing uppercase superscripts are three 15-minute watering periods per day
significantly
2
different (P < .01).
Each treatment consisted of 12 replicates of gained significantly less (P < .05) weight
three birds each. during 36 weeks of lay than did all other
treatments. When water was available for
automatic feeders is that the movement of 15-minute periods each hour or five times
the chain or auger promotes consumption. daily, gains were not different from the con-
Perhaps in this experiment, the water flow, trol. This is contrary to the results observed
activated each hour served the same function in Exp. 2 (Table 5). The conflicting findings
as the automatic feeder, causing an increased may be explained on the basis of strain
feed intake and ultimately a significantly differences.
higher average egg weight. Differences in hen-day egg production were
No significant differences were observed not significant; however, all three intermit-
for specific gravity (Table 7). There were tently watered groups laid at a higher rate
no significant Haugh unit differences for the than the control. In both Exp. 2 and 3, pullets
intermittently watered layers and the controls provided five 15-minute watering periods laid
at any period (Table 8). This also was the at a numerically higher rate than the controls.
case for the intermittently fed birds except Hill (1969) reported a slight reduction in
for the 9th period where a significantly higher hen-day egg production when pullets were
value (P < .01) was noted when compared provided five 15-minute watering periods per
with the restricted water treatments. This day when initiated at 21 weeks of age. Strain
difference could possibly be due to the fact differences may again account for the dissim-
that the intermittently watered groups were ilarity of results. Differences could also be
laying at a higher rate than the intermittently explained by water trough length. In this
fed group (74.6 and 73.4 vs. 66.7%). These study (Exp. 1-3), the water traveled only 216
cm. (85") before reaching the last cage in
each row. Under commercial conditions
TABLE 8.—Haugh units of eggs from intermittent
watering and feeding programs—Exp 2' where troughs may be 91.4 m. (300') or more
in length, the duration of the watering periods
Haugh Units might have to be extended to insure that the
Treatment 2 PdTl PdT~5 Pd79" last cage in each row received an adequate
Controls 84.7A 82.4A 76.5AB supply of water.
15-min. H 2 0 / h r . 83.1A 80.6A 73.8B
15-min. H 2 0 (five The differences on the effects of providing
times/day) 82.2A 79.4A 72.3B three 15-minute watering periods per day
Two, 2-hr. feedings 83.3A 82.7A 78.6A between Exp. 1 and 3 can best be explained
1
Values with differing uppercase superscripts are by noting the time of initiation of the watering
significantly different (P < .01).
2
Each treatment consisted of 12 replicates of programs. In Exp. 1, the watering program
three birds each. began in the middle of the lay cycle resulting
 INTERMITTENT WATERING AND FEEDING PROGRAMS 1879

TABLE 9.—Performance of White Leghorn pullets subjected to intermittent watering—Exp. 3'

Hen-day Avg. egg Wt.

Treatment2 egg prod.3 wt. gain4 Mort.
% g. g. %
Control 74.8a 57.2a 623a 0.0b
15-min. H 2 0/hr. 76.1a 56.7a 663a ll.la
15-min. H 2 0 (five times/day) 77.7a 57.1a 628a 2.8b
15-min. H 2 0 (three times/day) 77.9a 54.6b 524b 0.0b
Egg/ Feed/ Feed/ Feed/
Treatment hen-day5 hen-day6 egg7 g. egg8
§• §• 8- §•
Control 42.8a Ilia 148a 2.60a
15-min. H 2 0/hr. 43.1a 111a 146a 2.57a
15-min. H 2 0 (five times/day) 44.4a 108ab 139a 2.43a
15-min. H 2 0 (three times/day) 42.6a 106b 137a 2.50a
•Values
2
with differing lowercase superscripts are significantly different (P < .05).
Each group contained two replicates of 18 birds each.
'Total
4
number of eggs laid/total number of hen-days for the 36-week experiment.
5
Avg. wt. gained per hen during the 36-week experiment.
6
Total g. of egg produced/total number of hen-days for the 36-week experiment.
7
Total feed consumed/total number of hen-days for the 36-week experiment.
8
Total feed consumed/total number of eggs laid during the 36-week experiment.
Total feed consumed/total g. of eggs for the 36-week experiment.

in a significant decline in egg production, and three 15-minute periods) required 98.6, 93.9
an apparent force molt in some hens. In Exp. and 92.6% as much feed as the controls to
3, the watering program was initiated prior produce an egg. These same groups required
to the onset of production, apparently allow- 98.8, 93.5 and 96.2% as much feed, respec-
ing the pullets time to adapt to the watering tively, as the control group to produce a gram
regime. of egg. The pullets provided five 15-minute
The most mortality, 11.1%, occurred in the
group having water available 15-minutes each 62 _
• i - i i —I 1 1 1 1 I
-
hour. Although this level proved significantly h iJ^S^" 6
-
different, it is not excessively high. No mor- 60 _
-
-
-
tality occurred in the control and three 15- / ^ - * -*
„ 58 - -
/m^^^ /
"-' 56 .
m
minute watering periods groups. 7 *-"*• -
The group provided three 15-minute water- >' -
s 54
h
ing periods per day consumed significantly o - -
less feed per hen-day than did the control 52 -
M / -
and water 15 minutes each hour groups. The UJ 50 _ I'I ' _
group provided five and three 15 minute > -
48 -
SI / t -
O/
Control -
watering periods daily consumed 97.3% and d/
A/
— - Three I5-Min. periods /day
A—A

95.5%, respectively, as much feed as the O—O Five 15-Min. periods /day
\? I5-Min. period each hour
1
A—A
group with with water 15-minutes each hour, 1 1 1 i i i I i I

which consumed the same amount of feed 3 4 5 6 7

per hen-day as did the control. Differences
in feed consumed per egg were not statistical-
ly significant. The intermittently watered
groups (15-minutes water each hour, five and
28-DAY PERIOD
FIG. 2. Average egg weights of intermittently
watered hens during nine 28-day experimental
periods—Exp. 3.
1880 R. J. SPILLER, R. W. DORMINEY AND G. H. ARSCOTT
TABLE 10.—Egg size distribution of Babcock B-300 layers as affected by intermittent watering—Exp. 3'
Peewee
Treatment2 & small Medium
% %
Control 8.61a 38.49a
15-min. H 2 0/hr. 12.55a 31.63a
15-min. H 2 0 (five
times/day) 9.46a 36.44a
15-min. H 2 0 (three
times/day) 20.26a 41.46a
'Values
2
with differing lowercase superscripts are significantly different (P < .05).
Each treatment consisted of two replicates of 18 birds each.
watering periods per day tended to produce
eggs more efficiently, concurring with the
findings in Exp. 2.
A significant difference (P < .05) was
observed in average egg weight. Figure 2
shows the average egg weights of the control
and intermittently watered groups for each
4-week period. Pullets provided three 15-
minute watering periods per day consistently
laid significantly (P < .05) smaller eggs than
did birds in the other three treatments. The
reduction in average egg weight in the first
five periods is undesirable because of the
large number of peewee, small and medium
eggs. However, a reduction in egg size may
be desirable after the sixth period when a
larger percentage of the eggs laid are large,
extra-large and jumbo. Producers selling to
a wholesaler, receiving little or no premium
for extra-large over large and only a small
premium for jumbos, may benefit economi-
cally from reductions in the numbers of
extra-large and jumbo eggs, and in feed intake
as a result of this intermittent watering re-
gime.
The egg size distribution is shown in Table
10. Pullets watered three times daily laid
significantly fewer large eggs and tended to
lay more peewee, small and medium eggs,
and fewer extra-large eggs. The other two
intermittent watering regimes did not alter
egg size distribution.
Egg Size
Large Extra-large Jumbo
% % %
42.70a 9.82a 0.40a
48.44a 6.95a 0.44a
42.48a 11.63a 0.00a
31.25b 6.91a 0.14a
There were no significant differences in
the moisture content of the fecal samples.
The average dry matter content of the feces
from the control, and the three or five 15-
minute watering periods was 28.5, 29.0 and
24.2%, respectively.
Since the laying facilities were not temper-
ature controlled, the birds were exposed to
temperatures in excess of 26.7° C. on many
occasions. Periodically maximum ambient
temperatures in excess of 32.2° C. were re-
corded. However, at no time did the intermit-
tently watered layers appear to be more heat
stressed than the control group.
REFERENCES
Arscott, G. H., and P. E. Bernier, 1961. Application
of specific gravity to the determination of eggshell
thickness. In: Agricultural Science Laboratory Ex-
cercises for High School Students. Agricultural
Science No. 2. School of Agriculture, Oregon State
University.
Harrison, P. C , 1972. Two feeding periods best in
limiting time feeding. Poultry Digest, 31: 148.
Hill, A. T., 1969. Phase watering for laying stock.
Can. Poultry Rev. 93: 38.
Hill, A. T., and J. F. Richards, 1969. Consequences
of limiting cage layer watering time. Poultry Sci.
48: 1819.
Johnston, G. W., M. H. Swanson and C. A. Salverson,
1973. Feed restriction through three lay cycles.
Poultry Institute Proceedings, Univ. Cal. Agric. Ext.
pp. 8-13.
Knight, H. F., 1970. Controlled water systems for
cages. Poultry Digest, 29: 84-85.
 INTERMITTENT WATERING AND FEEDING PROGRAMS 1881

Maxwell, B. J., and J. B. Lyle, 1957. Restricted water
for wet dropping prevention. Poultry Sci. 36: 921-
922.
McGinnis,J.,and P. R. Patel, 1971. Time-limit feeding.
Poultry Digest, 33: 253.
Patel, P. R., and J. McGinnis, 1970. Effect of restrict-
ing feeding time on feed consumption, egg produc-
tion, and body weight gain of Leghorn pullets.
Poultry Sci. 49: 1425.
Polin, D., and J. H. Wolford, 1972. The effect of
meal-eating on egg production and body weight of
White Leghorn chickens. Poultry Sci. 51:1109-1118.
Salverson, C. A., 1959. Water restriction for layers.
Pacific Poultryman, 65(21): 58-59.
Steel, R. G. D., and J. H. Torrie, 1960. Principles
and Procedures of Statistics. McGraw Hill Co. Inc.,
New York, New York.
Wilson, H. R., C. F. Wright, R. W. Dorminey and
I. E. Jones, 1965. Water restriction for caged layers.
Sunshine State Agri. Res. Rep. 10(4): 11.

Histochemical Observations on the Seasonal Fluctuations

in the Follicular Atresia and Interstitial Gland Tissue in
the House Sparrow Ovary
SARDUL S. GURAYA AND R. K. CHALANA
Department of Zoology, College of Basic Sciences & Humanities, Punjab Agricultural University,
Punjab, India
(Received for publication January 29, 1976)

ABSTRACT A histochemical study has been made of seasonal fluctuations in the follicular
atresia and interstitial gland tissue with the ovarian cycles of the house sparrow (Passer
domesticus). The atresia of primordial oocytes forms the predominant feature of the quiescent-
winter ovary. The building up of interstitial gland tissue of thecal origin, which precedes the
breeding activity, is closely related to the atresia of previtellogenic follicles of variable sizes.
Interstitial gland cells which accumulate lipid droplets consisting of cholesterol, and/or its
esters, triglycerides and some phospholipids, are the steroid secretors. The possible functional
significance of different-sized follicular atresia in relation to follicular growth and breeding
activity is discussed.
POULTRY SCIENCE 55: 1881-1885, 1976

INTRODUCTION this study will form the basis for future

A
S in other vertebrates (Guraya, 1973),
follicular atresia also forms a conspicu-
ous feature of the avian ovary, which has
been distinguished into different types
depending upon the stepwise size gradation
at which the follicles become atretic (Kern,
1972; Erpino, 1973). But the physiological
significance of different-sized atretic follicles
is poorly understood during the reproductive
cycle. Using histological and histochemical
techniques, the present study on the ovary
of house sparrow (Passer domesticus) was
undertaken to determine the nature of rela-
tionships between the follicular growth and
atresia and building up of interstitial gland
tissue throughout the year. The results of
experimental studies on the induction of fol-
licular atresia and possible secretory role of
atretic follicles. In the previous studies, very
little attention has been paid to the atresia
of primordial follicles, which is also investi-
gated here.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
Three to five female specimens of house
sparrows were collected at weekly intervals
throughout the year. The fixatives used for
the histochemistry of lipids included for-
maldehyde-calcium and weak Bouin's solu-
tion. After fixation, the material was post-
chromed in dichromate-calcium and embed-
ded in gelatin. Frozen gelatin sections were