{"id":17237,"date":"2026-10-08T11:35:16","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T09:35:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mycokingdom.net\/?p=17237"},"modified":"2026-10-08T12:00:20","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T10:00:20","slug":"don-in-laying-hens-beyond-performance-reproductive-health-is-also-at-stake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mycokingdom.net\/en\/don-in-laying-hens-beyond-performance-reproductive-health-is-also-at-stake\/","title":{"rendered":"DON in laying hens: Beyond performance, reproductive health is also at stake"},"content":{"rendered":"[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text css=”” text_direction=”default”]\n
\n

In pigs and broiler chickens, the effects of deoxynivalenol (DON) on feed intake, intestinal integrity, and feed efficiency are now well documented. In laying hens, however, available data remain more limited. A study published in 2026 in Scientific Reports provides particularly interesting insights: <\/span>beyond the expected effects on production performance, DON may also directly affect reproductive health<\/span><\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Six hundred 56-week-old Dekalb White laying hens were fed for 16 weeks either a control diet or a naturally contaminated diet containing <\/span>2.45 mg\/kg DON<\/span><\/b>. After just 8 weeks of exposure, feed efficiency was impaired: hens consumed more feed without any increase in laying rate, egg weight, or egg mass. This finding is consistent with the effects of DON already widely reported in other species.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, the most novel finding concerns <\/span>the ovary<\/span><\/b>. After only 8 weeks, the proportion of normal primordial and primary follicles was significantly reduced. After 16 weeks, this alteration persisted and was accompanied by a decrease in the number of large white follicles, along with increased signs of follicular degeneration.<\/span><\/p>\n

These findings are particularly important because primordial follicles constitute <\/span>a non-renewable ovarian reserve<\/span><\/b>. Yet, laying rate remained comparable between groups. In other words, <\/span>the absence of an immediate decline in production does not mean the absence of a biological impact<\/span><\/b>. <\/span>These follicular alterations could lead to premature aging of the reproductive system.<\/span><\/p>\n

The study also highlights alterations in intestinal health and calcium-phosphorus metabolism, confirming that the effects of DON in laying hens extend well beyond visible performance parameters.<\/span><\/p>\n

These findings suggest that <\/span>the impact of DON on reproductive function in laying hens has probably been underestimated to date<\/span><\/b>, with potential consequences for long-term laying persistency.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Note: the experimental diet was naturally contaminated with multiple mycotoxins, with DON being the predominant mycotoxin. The results therefore reflect conditions closer to those encountered in the field<\/span> rather than exposure to pure DON.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][image_with_animation image_url=”17278″ image_size=”full” animation_type=”entrance” animation=”None” animation_movement_type=”transform_y” hover_animation=”none” alignment=”” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”none” image_loading=”default” max_width=”100%” max_width_mobile=”default”][vc_column_text css=”” text_direction=”default”]Reference\u202f:\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>Basili E, Star L, Beleva G, Molist F, Milanova A, Santos RR. Short-term dietary deoxynivalenol exposure negatively affects performance, intestinal and reproductive functions in laying hens. Sci Rep. 2026 Apr 11;16(1):16920. doi: 10.1038\/s41598-026-46100-0. PMID: 41965801; PMCID: PMC13230629.\u00a0<\/b>\u00a0<\/em>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none”…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":17298,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[55,54,56,57,53],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fr-en","category-myco-news-en","category-myco-news-en-2","category-myco-news-en-3","category-myconews-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mycokingdom.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17237","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mycokingdom.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mycokingdom.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mycokingdom.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mycokingdom.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17237"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/mycokingdom.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17237\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17293,"href":"https:\/\/mycokingdom.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17237\/revisions\/17293"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mycokingdom.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17298"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mycokingdom.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17237"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mycokingdom.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17237"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mycokingdom.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17237"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}