The experiment was conducted to determine the nutritional requirement of calcium and the best calcium:available phosphorus ratio for commercial layers at the post-laying peak. A total of 324 Hy-Line W-36 laying hens were utilized in the period from 42 to 58 weeks of age, distributed in a completely randomized design in a 3 × 3 factorial arrangement, composed of three levels of calcium (39, 42 and 45 g/kg) and three calcium:phosphorus ratios (12.12:1; 10.53:1; and 9.30:1), totaling nine treatments with six replications and six birds per experimental unit. There was no significant effect from the calcium levels × calcium:phosphorus ratio interaction for any of the variables studied. The calcium levels and the calcium:phosphorus ratios did not affect the variables performance or egg and bone quality. At the evaluation of the calcium:phosphorus balance, as the levels of calcium of the diet were raised, the intake of calcium and phosphorus and the contents of mineral matter and calcium in the excreta increased linearly, and the retention of calcium by birds decreased linearly. With the reduction of the calcium:phosphorus ratios of the diet, intake, retention and excretion of phosphorus by layers increased. Diets containing calcium at 39 g/kg and a calcium:phosphorus ratio of 12.12:1, corresponding to an increase in calcium of 3.51 g/bird/day and available phosphorus of 289 mg/bird/day, meet the requirements of calcium and available phosphorus of white egg layers in the period from 42 to 58 weeks of age.

The objective of this study was to determine the ideal digestible tryptophan:digestible lysine ratio in diets for laying hens from 24 to 40 weeks of age. Two hundred and forty Hy-Line W-36 laying hens at 24 weeks of age were distributed in a completely randomized design, with five treatments, eight replicates and six birds per experimental unit. The digestible tryptophan levels in the experimental diets were 1.57; 1.68; 1.79; 1.90 and 2.01 g/kg, providing ratios of digestible tryptophan:digestible lysine of 0.215; 0.230; 0.245; 0.260 and 0.275. The increase in the levels of digestible tryptophan in the diet linearly improved the feed intake, digestible tryptophan intake, digestible lysine intake, egg production, egg mass, feed conversion per egg mass and utilization efficiency of digestible lysine for eggs mass. There were quadratic effects from the digestible tryptophan levels on egg weight. For the efficiency of utilization of digestible lysine for egg mass, there was better adjustment of the data to the LRP model. The level of digestible tryptophan in the diet from which the plateau occurred was 0.184%. This level corresponded to the intake of 142 mg/bird/day of digestible tryptophan and digestible tryptophan:digestible lysine ratio of 0.252. The ideal digestible tryptophan:digestible lysine ratio recommended in diets for laying hens from 24 to 40 weeks of age is 0.252 (25.2%).