The performance of egg hens when using a prebiotic preparation

Abstract

The relevance of this study is conditioned upon the active introduction of prebiotic preparations into the practice of feeding poultry and the need to determine the impact of their use on quantitative and qualitative indicators of productivity. In this regard, this study is aimed at determining the effect of the introduction of the prebiotic preparation Actigen in the diet of laying hens on their level of productivity and morphological parameters of eggs. Using an integrated approach, the level of egg productivity of chickens was investigated for the introduction of the preparation into the mixed feed in the amount of 500 g/t for 6 weeks. Assessment of poultry at 52 weeks of life indicates a slightly higher level of egg production of chickens of the experimental group – 198.6 pcs against 196.2 pcs in the control group (the difference is 1.22%) and the safety of livestock – 97.50% against 97.00% in the control group. It was found that the mass of eggs obtained from chickens of the experimental group was higher by 1.09 g (p<0.05). A lower level of variation (Cv) of the “egg mass” trait of the poultry of the experimental group (3.05%) than in the control group (3.51%) is positive, and indirectly indicates the level of uniformity of the herd in live weight. It was established that the weight of egg white and yolk of hens in the experimental group was 1.04 g and 0.37 g higher, respectively, than in the control group. The difference between groups is not statistically significant, but it shows the direction of their changes. In the eggs of the experimental group, the large diameter of the egg white was smaller compared to the control group by 1.93%, and the small diameter by 3.56%. The height of the dense layer of white and yolk, which are objective indicators of egg quality, were greater in the experimental group (p<0.001) compared to the control group, which is positive, this difference was 21.54% and 20.00%, respectively. According to the indicators of the energy value of eggs, no substantial differences were found between the experimental groups. The obtained data (increase in the level of egg production of poultry, preservation of livestock, egg weight, improvement of egg quality indicators of chickens of the experimental group) indicate a positive effect of the introduction of the prebiotic preparation Actigen on the level of egg productivity of poultry. The materials of this paper are of practical value for the work of poultry enterprises specialising in the production of food-grade chicken eggs

Keywords

• prebiotic
• egg production
• laying hens
• actigen
• egg mass
• white
• yolk