Effect of follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone levels on egg-laying frequency in hens

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Gonadotropins, for example, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH), are hormones that affect the reproductive process. In hens, optimal levels of FSH and LH can stimulate follicle growth fairly rapidly and thereby increase egg production through follicle development and increased ovulation. Follicle-stimulating hormone acts in the early stages of follicular growth, whereas LH acts on pre-ovulatory follicles. Normal follicular growth is the result of the complementary action of FSH and LH. Low FSH and LH levels result in the formation of follicles but a lack of egg production in chickens. This study aimed to investigate FSH and LH hormone levels from layer chickens with different egg-laying frequencies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty blood serum samples were collected from 54-week-old ISA brown strain hens that were divided into five groups (with 10 hens per group) as follows: Hens that lay eggs (i) every day, (ii) once every 2 days, (iii) twice every 3 days, (iv) 3 times every 4 days, and (v) hens that do not lay eggs. Follicle-stimulating hormone and LH levels were measured in samples using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance. RESULTS: Follicle-stimulating hormone levels were significantly associated with the frequency of egg laying in ISA brown strain hens (p < 0.05); the highest FSH level (869.005 ± 149.194 pg/mL) was found in hens that lay eggs every day. In contrast, the highest LH level (51.386 ± 2.410 mIU/mL) was found in hens that lay eggs every 2 days. CONCLUSION: High level of FSH (869.005 ± 149.194 pg/mL) was associated with a high frequency of egg laying (every day) in ISA brown strain hens, and LH level of around 30.406 pg/mL was associated with daily egg laying in these hens.