The Effect of Adding Different Levels of Dried Chicken Eggshell Powder on The Egg Productivity Traits of the Lohman Layer Chicken

Abstract

This study was conducted at the Department of Animal Production, College of Agriculture, University of Kirkuk, from 7/24/2023 to 10/1/2023, with One hundred 28-weeks-old birds were used, distributed randomly among five treatments, twenty birds for each treatment, and placed in production batteries inside a hall. The birds from each treatment were distributed into five replicates, with four birds per replicate. The five treatments were: T1=100% limestone + 0% eggshell powder, T2= 75% limestone + 25% eggshell powder, T3= 50%limestone + 50% eggshell powder, T4= 25% limestone + 75% eggshell powder, T5= 0% limestone + 100% eggshell powder. The egg shell was boiled, washed, dried in the sun for 3 days, broken and crushed, and mixed with the feed. The study found that adding different levels of eggshell powder significantly affected egg weight, egg number, and egg production (HD). However, it disagreed with previous studies that found adding different recourse and concentration of calcium in layers’ diet did not significantly impact HD.

Keywords

• layers
• calcium
• powder
• eggshell