Comparison between wheat, triticale, rye, soyabean oil and strain of laying bird on the production, and cholesterol and fatty acid contents of eggs.

1. The effects of feeding three types of cereal grain (wheat, triticale or rye) and soyabean oil (0 or 20 g/kg) over a 12-week period on the production, yolk cholesterol and yolk fatty acid concentrations of three strains of laying pullets were studied. 2. Pullets fed on wheat- or triticale-based diets had higher body weight gains, egg productions, egg weights, egg mass and lower yolk cholesterol concentrations than pullets fed on rye-based diets. However, there were no significant differences between the cereals in yolk cholesterol content. 3. There were no significant differences between the three cereals in total food consumption of pullets nor of yolk weight nor yolk concentration of palmitic, stearic and oleic acids. 4. Pullets fed on triticale-based diets had higher yolk linoleic acid concentrations and lower yolk oleic acid: linoleic acid ratios than pullets fed on rye- or wheat-based diets. 5. Soyabean oil supplementation increased egg production, egg mass, yolk linoleic concentration and yolk unsaturated to saturated fatty acid ratio, but reduced yolk oleic acid: linoleic acid ratio. 6. There were differences between strains of pullets in weight gain, food consumption, rate of lay, egg weight and yolk cholesterol, but not in yolk fatty acid concentrations. 7. It was concluded that wheat- or triticale-based diets gave good production of eggs of lower cholesterol content, that soyabean oil supplementation gave eggs with a high unsaturated to saturated fatty acid ratio and that two strains of layers produced eggs with lower yolk cholesterol concentrations than a third strain.