Egg Quality Parameters, Production Performance and Immunity of Laying Hens Supplemented with Plant Extracts
Muhammad Ammar Dilawar,
Hong Seok Mun,
Dhanushka Rathnayake,
Eun Ju Yang,
Ye Seul Seo,
Hyeoung Seog Park,
Chul Ju Yang
Affiliations
Muhammad Ammar Dilawar
Interdisciplinary Program in IT-Bio Convergence System (BK 21 Plus), Sunchon National University, 255, Jungang-ro, Suncheon-si, Jeollanam-do 57922, Korea
Hong Seok Mun
Animal Nutrition and Feed Science Laboratory, Department of Animal Science and Technology, Sunchon National University, 255 Jungang-ro, Suncheon, Jeollanam-do 57922, Korea
Dhanushka Rathnayake
Animal Nutrition and Feed Science Laboratory, Department of Animal Science and Technology, Sunchon National University, 255 Jungang-ro, Suncheon, Jeollanam-do 57922, Korea
Eun Ju Yang
Food Research Center, Jeonnam Bio Industry Foundation, Naju 58275, Korea
Ye Seul Seo
Food Research Center, Jeonnam Bio Industry Foundation, Naju 58275, Korea
Hyeoung Seog Park
EFC, Gwangyang 57714, Korea
Chul Ju Yang
Interdisciplinary Program in IT-Bio Convergence System (BK 21 Plus), Sunchon National University, 255, Jungang-ro, Suncheon-si, Jeollanam-do 57922, Korea
This study examined the effects of Mentha arvensis (MA) and Geranium thunbergii (GT) extracts in drinking water on the production performance, egg quality, cholesterol content of egg yolk, proximate composition, and sensory qualities of egg and immunity parameters in laying hens. Ninety-six 28-week-old Hy-Line Brown layers were randomly divided into four dietary treatments for 16 weeks. The dietary treatments were (1) control, (2) T1 (0.01% 1 MA:1 GT), (3) T2 (0.05% 1 MA:1 GT), and (4) T3 (0.1% 1 MA:1 GT). Egg production increased significantly with increasing levels of MA and GT. The egg weight was increased in T2, and the feed intake was highest in T2 and T3 (p p p p 3 gas from the feces as compared to the control. This study suggests that MA and GT supplementation could improve the laying performance, egg quality, and immunity, and decrease the egg yolk cholesterol content in a dose-dependent manner.
