Effects of Six Single Species of Coccidia on Egg Production and Culling Rate of Susceptible Layers

Graded levels of Eimeria infection modulated gut physiology and temporarily ceased the egg production of laying hens at peak production

“…This decrease in egg production coincided with the maximum pathogenicity of Eimeria , which typically occurs between 5 and 7 DPI when the second-generation merozoites are released from the intestinal enterocytes. This result is in accordance with the previous results by Hegde and Reid (1969) and Fitz-Coy and Edgar (1992) . Gastrointestinal damage in the laying hens was considered severe based on lesion scores and permeability results.…”

“…Generally, anticoccidials are withdrawn before the pullets enter the laying phase; therefore, the low immunity acquired through the leakage of oocysts in the intestine may not be sufficient to protect hens through the production period ( Soares et al, 2004 ). Coccidiosis becomes more detrimental in laying hens beyond the age of 20 wk when they reach peak production and are of more economic value to the egg industry ( Hegde and Reid, 1969 ; North and Bell, 1984 ; Fitz-Coy and Edgar, 1992 ). Previous studies by Sharma et al (2022a ) observed that growing pullets infected with Eimeria spp.…”

“…during the prelay stage, leading to delayed onset of egg production ( Sharma et al, 2022b , 2024 ). Moreover, it has been observed that Eimeria infection in laying hens resulted in a cessation of egg production, with some hens permanently ceasing to lay eggs ( Hegde and Reid, 1969 ; Fitz-Coy and Edgar, 1992 ). However, limited research has been conducted on Eimeria infection in laying hens in the past 3 decades.…”

Coccidiosis in Egg-Laying Hens and Potential Nutritional Strategies to Modulate Performance, Gut Health, and Immune Response

“…Outbreaks can occur after moving to layer facilities, either conventional cages or alternative housing systems [5,8,10]. Coccidiosis in laying hens has been reported during the early egg production period, around 23-24 weeks of age, and is characterized by high morbidity and mortality with a dramatic reduction in egg production [4,10,[57][58][59]. Temporary cessation of egg production has been observed in laying hens infected with E. maxima, E. acervulina, and E. tenella.…”

“…Temporary cessation of egg production has been observed in laying hens infected with E. maxima, E. acervulina, and E. tenella. Hegde and Reid (1969) [57] reported that total egg production dropped to less than 20% when susceptible laying hens were independently challenged with different Eimeria species (E. acervulina, E. maxima, E. brunetti, E. necatrix, or E. tenella), with a significant drop observed two weeks post-challenge. It took 4-6 weeks to recover from infection, which varied among species.…”