One experiment was conducted to study performance of laying hens of four strains after forced molt: Lohmann White, Babcok, Embrapa-011 (light weight) and Lohmann Brown (semi-heavy weight). Different levels of calcium were applied during the production period (2, 3, 4, 5 and 6%), the experimental design was a random block design with whole 400 birds. Hens were 74 week old at the beginning of the molt phase. The birds fed 2% of calcium showed lower feed consumption and lower egg production. The highest levels of calcium increased the egg shell quality. The color of egg yolk was lower for levels 2 and 6% of calcium. Egg weight, Haugh unit and egg yolk color were related to strain, and the Embrapa-011 showed the lower performance among strains.
Lines; Laying hens; Moult; Calcium; Performance
