{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,24]],"date-time":"2026-02-24T13:21:44Z","timestamp":1771939304344,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":25,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,24]],"date-time":"2026-02-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1771891200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Animals"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Moderately fermentable dietary fiber (with different crude fiber [CF] levels), especially when combined with stimbiotic (STB) supplementation, can enhance intestinal health, nutrient utilization, and overall performance in laying hens, although effects depend on fiber type, level, and diet composition. To investigate this, 1200 Bovans White laying hens (32 weeks old) were assigned to a 2 \u00d7 6 factorial experiment with two levels of supplementation (without or with 0.01% STB) and six dietary fiber treatments: Control (commercial diet), Corn\u2013soybean, 75:25 wheat\u2013corn, 50:50 wheat\u2013corn, 25:75 wheat\u2013corn, and Corn\u2013soybean. The study spanned five 28-day periods, evaluating productive performance, egg quality, and intestinal morphology. Dietary fiber levels significantly improved feed intake (p = 0.0029), egg production (p &lt; 0.0001), egg mass (p &lt; 0.0001), feed conversion (p &lt; 0.0001), and intestinal structure (p \u2264 0.05), while STB alone had limited effects. Hens fed 75:25 and 50:50 wheat\u2013corn diets consumed more feed, and the highest egg production and mass were observed in layers receiving Control, 75:25 wheat\u2013corn, and Corn\u2013soybean diets. Egg quality benefited from the fiber\u2013STB interaction, producing heavier eggs with higher yolk pigmentation (p \u2264 0.05), thicker shells (p \u2264 0.05), and specific gravity (p \u2264 0.05). STB supplementation increased jejunal villus width (p = 0.0001) and absorptive area (p = 0.0063), whereas fiber type affected ileal villus width (p = 0.0025) and absorptive area (p = 0.0156). Fiber\u2013STB interaction influences the duodenum villus width (p = 0.0106), crypt depth (p = 0.0011), villus-to-crypt ratio (p = 0.0058), and absorptive area (p = 0.0086), and ileum villus width (p = 0.0011), crypt depth (p = 0.0058), and absorptive area (p = 0.0086). In conclusion, the use of 0.01% STB in diets with high crude fiber levels (25:75 and 75:25 wheat\u2013corn ratios) improves performance, egg quality, and intestinal health in laying hens.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ani16050700","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,24]],"date-time":"2026-02-24T12:19:23Z","timestamp":1771935563000},"page":"700","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Performance, Egg Quality, and Intestinal Morphology of Laying Hens Fed High-Fiber Diets with or Without Stimbiotic Supplementation"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Amanda Fabr\u00edcio Dantas de","family":"Lima","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Science, Center of Agricultural Sciences, Federal University of Paraiba, Areia 58397-000, Paraiba, Brazil"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ricardo Rom\u00e3o","family":"Guerra","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Science, Center of Agricultural Sciences, Federal University of Paraiba, Areia 58397-000, Paraiba, Brazil"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Isabelle Naemi","family":"Kaneko","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Science, Federal University of Rondonia, Campus of Presidente M\u00e9dici, Presidente M\u00e9dici 76916-000, Rondonia, Brazil"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7407-9597","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Danilo Vargas Gon\u00e7alves","family":"Vieira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Science, Federal University of Northern Tocantins, Aragua\u00edna University Campus, Aragua\u00edna 77804-970, Tocantins, Brazil"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8102-3738","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Danilo Teixeira","family":"Cavalcante","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Science, Federal University of Agreste of Pernambuco, Garanhuns 55292-278, Pernambuco, Brazil"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9897-6209","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Matheus Ramalho de","family":"Lima","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Science, Federal Rural University of the Semi-Arid Region, Mossor\u00f3 Campus, Mossor\u00f3 59625-900, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2796-1675","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Adiel Vieira de","family":"Lima","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Science, Center of Agricultural Sciences, Federal University of Paraiba, Areia 58397-000, Paraiba, Brazil"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-7215-6325","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Paloma Eduarda Lopes de","family":"Souza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Science, Center of Agricultural Sciences, Federal University of Paraiba, Areia 58397-000, Paraiba, Brazil"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Carlos Henrique do","family":"Nascimento","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Science, Center of Agricultural Sciences, Federal University of Paraiba, Areia 58397-000, Paraiba, Brazil"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1123-086X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Edijanio Galdino da","family":"Silva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Science, Center of Agricultural Sciences, Federal University of Paraiba, Areia 58397-000, Paraiba, Brazil"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8442-3195","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Xavi\u00e8re","family":"Rousseau","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ab Vista, 3 Woodstock Court, Marlborough SN8 4AN, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4075-1792","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fernando Guilherme Perazzo","family":"Costa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Science, Center of Agricultural Sciences, Federal University of Paraiba, Areia 58397-000, Paraiba, Brazil"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Germano Augusto Jer\u00f4nimo do","family":"Nascimento","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Science, Center of Agricultural Sciences, Federal University of Paraiba, Areia 58397-000, Paraiba, Brazil"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2351","DOI":"10.3382\/ps\/pev242","article-title":"Effects of dietary fiber on cecal short-chain fatty acid and cecal microbiota of broiler and laying-hen chicks","volume":"94","author":"Walugembe","year":"2015","journal-title":"Poult. 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