Comparative Study of Feed Form Effects on Productive Performance, Egg Quality and Nutrient Utilization in Laying Hens.

Ammonia (NH3) emission from commercial poultry farms significantly contributes to atmospheric pollution, highlighting the need for effective mitigation strategies. This study investigated the effects of a low crude protein (CP) amino acid-balanced diet on performance, egg quality, nutrient digestibility, and excreta gas emissions in laying hens. A total of 252 Hy-line brown laying hens (43 weeks old) were randomly assigned to one of three dietary treatments for 12 weeks: 17% CP (control, CON), 16% CP (low protein, LP), and 16% CP supplemented with amino acids (LPS). The LPS diet was fortified with methionine, lysine, threonine, and tryptophan, to match the amino acids (AAs) profile of the CON diet. Body weight was recorded at start, 2nd, and 12th weeks, while egg production and quality were analyzed weekly. Fecal samples collected in the 7th week were evaluated for nutrient digestibility and gas emission. Reducing dietary CP from 17 to 16% significantly decreased egg production and feed conversion ratio (FCR) during the later weeks (weeks 5 to 12 and 7 to 12, respectively), whereas the LPS diet-maintained performance comparable to the CON group. Egg quality traits, including eggshell color, Haugh unit, yolk color, albumin height, eggshell strength, and eggshell thickness, were unaffected by dietary treatments. Nutrient digestibility (dry matter, nitrogen, gross energy, calcium, phosphorus) remained unchanged. Notably, the LPS diet significantly reduced NH3 emissions from excreta, while hydrogen sulfide (H2S) emissions were unaffected. These findings demonstrate that reducing dietary CP with supplemented AAs can effectively mitigate NH3 emissions without compromising production performance or egg quality in Hy-line brown laying hens.

Study on changes in egg quality traits and genetic parameters of white leghorn hens from 35 to 100 weeks of age.

Introduction Supplementation of poultry diets with antioxidant substances seems to be an efficient means for improving the oxidative stability of poultry products. The most important sources of natural antioxidants are plants. The poultry performance parameters generally and positively are affected by the addition of aromatic herbs and their extracts into diets. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.), which is herb of the Labiatae family, have been recognized as the plants with the highest antioxidative activity by many authors. The substances associated with the antioxidant activity of rosemary are the phenolic diterpenes, such as carnasol, rosmanol, 7-methylepirosmanol, isorosmanol and carnosic acid. This study examined the effects of dietary supplemented with different levels of dried rosemary leaves on laying hen performance and egg quality in fresh and storage periods. Materials and methods A total of 200 Hy-Line W36 laying hen aged 26 weeks were housed in cages and randomly allocated to 5 treatment groups each containing 40 birds. Each group was divided into 4 replicates. The birds were kept in the laying cages (48.5 cm wide, 45 cm deep, 44 cm high in front and 38 cm high in the rear, 436 cm2 per each one), and housed there along the experimental period. Feed and water were provided ad libitum. The hens received a basal diet (maize and soya bean based; 16.00% crude protein; 2850 kcal/kg ME) that was formulated to meet the hy-line W36 (2014) requirements recommended for nutrients. The diet did not contain any antibiotics and coccidiostats or growth promoters. Treatments were included 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2 percent of dried rosemary leaves in basal diet. Experiment was designed in a Completely Randomized Design Block with 5 treatments, 4 replicates/ treatment with 10 hens in each replicate, from 29 until 38 weeks of age. Eggs were collected daily and weighed and egg production was calculated on a bird–day basis. Mortality was recorded as it occurred. Feed intake was recorded weekly and calculated as g/hen/d. The value of feed efficiency was calculated as kg feed per kg egg. Twenty four eggs were collected from each group (6 eggs from each replicate) at last 3 day of the experimental period to determine egg quality parameters. Egg quality analyses were done within 24 h of the eggs being collected and after 21d storage period. Egg shell thickness was measured with an egg shell thickness gauge, the egg weight in and out water, the albumen height, the yolk, albumen and shell weight were determined. By using these values, the Haugh units, egg portion (yolk, albumen and shell) relative weight, shell weight per shell unit area and egg specific gravity were calculated. Results and Discussion The results showed dietary supplemented with different levels of dried rosemary have significantly effects on some parameters of performance and egg traits in laying hens (p<0.05). Significant differences in egg production were observed among the groups in the present study. The egg production significantly increased and feed conversion ratio significantly decreased in the birds fed on diets supplemented by 1.5% rosemary dried leaves in comparison to control group, but with increasing levels of dried leaves of rosemary in the diet to 2% the performance indicators decreased. Feed intake was not significantly changed by the dietary treatment.The average weight of the eggs in birds fed a diet containing 1 and 1.5 percent dried rosemary leaves was significantly more than birds fed the control diet. This could lead to better meet the needs of birds because of improved digestibility and utilization of dietary nutrients being consumed. The effect of adding dried rosemary leaves on the egg quality parameters such as Haugh unit, egg specific gravity, shell thickness and shell weight per unit area are not significant. The Hugh unit of eggs, which have been stored for 21 days at 4 C, was higher in birds fed diets containing dried rosemary leaves. Conclusion The highest rate of egg production (%) and egg mass (g/ b/ d) and the lowest feed conversion (g/g) were observed in birds fed diets containing 1.5 % dried rosemary leaves and the highest egg weight, were observed in birds fed diets containing 1 % dried rosemary leaves. Overall addition of dried rosemary leaves in the diet of laying hens lead to improve performance, egg traits and maintaining egg quality during storage.

Productive performance, egg quality, nutrients digestibility, and physiological response of bovans brown hens fed various dietary inclusion levels of peppermint oil

ABSTRACT1. A study was conducted to determine the effects of dried broccoli floret (DBF) on egg production parameters, egg quality and apparent nutrient digestibility of laying hens. It was hypothesised that feeding DBF can improve egg quality without adversely affecting layer performance.2. Seventy-two White Leghorn layers aged 62 weeks were randomly allotted to 4 dietary treatments (6 cage replicates with 3 hens each) and fed diets containing 0, 40, 80 and 120 g/kg DBF in feed for 56 d.3. Inclusion of DBF had no effect on feed intake, egg production, feed conversion ratio or egg components. However, egg weight increased (linear effect, P < 0.05) as the level of DBF in the diet increased. Egg breakage strength, eggshell strength and Haugh unit were not influenced by dietary treatments. Egg yolk colour (quadratic effect, P = 0.002) and α-tocopherol concentration (quadratic effect, P < 0.0001) improved as a result of DBF inclusion. Egg yolk cholesterol concentration was not altered by DBF inclusion. Apparent total tract nutrient (dry matter, organic matter and crude protein) digestibility coefficients decreased (linear effect, P < 0.05) as the level of DBF increased.4. Feeding DBF to layers up to 120 g/kg of the diet had no negative effects on feed intake, egg production and feed efficiency and improved egg yolk colour and α-tocopherol concentration. However, total tract nutrient digestibility coefficients were negatively decreased as a result of DBF inclusion.

ABSTRACTBackgroundCold stress reduces egg production and quality in laying hens by increasing energy demands for thermoregulation, thereby limiting nutrients for reproduction and disrupting ovarian function and calcium metabolism.ObjectivesThis study aimed to evaluate the effects of dietary crude protein (CP), methionine (Met) and zinc (Zn) levels on laying performance and egg quality of hens under cold stress conditions.MethodsA total of 432 Lohmann LSL‐Lite hens (65 weeks old) were allocated to 12 dietary treatments in a 3 × 2 × 2 factorial arrangement, with six replicates per group. Treatments included three CP levels (15.80%, 14.30%, 12.80%), two Met levels (0.3%, 0.22%) and two Zn levels (0 and 30 mg/kg). Birds were housed under cold stress conditions (5°C–13°C) for 12 weeks.ResultsReducing dietary CP improved egg production, feed conversion ratio, and egg mass (p < 0.05). Higher Met (0.3%) increased egg weight compared to 0.22% Met (p < 0.05). Significant interactions between CP and other dietary factors (Met, Zn) affected egg shape index and Haugh unit (p < 0.05). The lowest CP and Met levels resulted in the poorest egg shape index, while 0.22% Met combined with 14.30% CP yielded the highest Haugh units.ConclusionLowering CP improved laying performance under cold stress with minimal effects on most egg quality traits; however, interactions between CP and Met influenced egg shape index and albumen quality. The study concluded that optimal results were achieved with diets containing 14.30% CP, 0.30% Met and 30 mg/kg Zn.

Simple SummaryIn the past, many studies have been carried out to investigate the effect of dietary valine supplementation on laying hens’ production performance and egg quality. However, knowledge concerning the optimal valine requirement during the peak lay period is limited and mainly restricted to the production performance of the hens. Within this context, the present study aimed to assess the impact of dietary valine levels on production performance, egg quality, antioxidant capacity, and immunity, as well as on intestinal amino acid absorption (i.e., serum free amino acids, digestive enzymes, and amino acid transporters). Dietary valine supplementation exerts positive effects on the production performance of the laying hens by promoting amino acid nutrient uptake and utilization. However, dietary valine supplementation might inhibit the absorption of dietary protein by downregulating peptide transporter expression of the small intestine, eventually resulting in the reduction of egg quality.The present study aimed to assess the impact of dietary valine levels on layer production performance, egg quality, immunity, and intestinal amino acid absorption of laying hens during the peak lay period. For this purpose, a total of 960 33-week-old Fengda No.1 laying hens were randomly divided into five experimental groups and fed with valine at the following different levels in a feeding trial that lasted 8 weeks: 0.59, 0.64, 0.69, 0.74, and 0.79%, respectively. Productive performances were recorded throughout the whole rearing cycle and the egg quality, serum indexes, and small intestine transporters expression were assessed at the end of the experiment after slaughter (41 weeks) on 12 hens per group. Statistical analysis was conducted by one-way ANOVA followed by LSD multiple comparison tests with SPSS 20.0 (SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA). The linear and quadratic effects were tested by SPSS 20.0. Egg mass, laying rate, broken egg rate, and feed conversion ratio were significantly improved with increasing dietary valine levels. However, the egg weight, eggshell thickness, albumen height, Haugh unit, and egg yolk color were significantly decreased with increasing dietary valine levels. Serum catalase (CAT), immunoglobulin A (IgA) and IgM levels, and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were negative responses to valine-treated laying hens. Dietary supplemented valine enhanced the trypsin activity of duodenum chime and promoted the mRNA expression levels of ATB0,+, and LAT4 in the jejunum and corresponding serum free Ile, Lys, Phe, Val, and Tyr level. However, valine treatment significantly downregulated the mRNA expression levels of PePT1, B0AT1, LAT1, and SNAT2 in the small intestines and corresponding serum free Arg, His, Met, Thr, Ala, Asp, Glu, Gly, and Ser level. Our results suggest that 0.79% valine dietary supplementation can improve production performance by promoting amino acid nutrient uptake and utilization, and suggest a supplement of 0.79% valine to diet.

Introduction Apple is one of the most important fruits that is produced in the large amount in Iran. It is a good source of vitamins and minerals and active fiber. Most of the apples that product in Iran are use in food industry for producing different kinds of apple juices. After Juicing, more than 20% of apple, remain as waste. The remained matter contain considerable amount of vitamins and minerals that usually found in fresh apple, moreover it is rich source of pectin and crude fiber. Generally this byproduct discharge to environment and cause some serious environmental problems. It is thought that use of apple pulp as a part of apple waste in laying hens diets not only prevent some environmental problems, but also can improve their performance, egg quality traits, and blood biochemical parameters and reduce the production cost. The current study has been designed to investigate these traits. Materials and Methods This experiment was carried out on 192 Hi-line (W36) laying hens in a completely randomized design as (2*2) factorial arrangement with two levels of apple pulp (0 and 4%) and two levels of probiotic (protexin) (0 and 0.005%) in 4 treatments, 4 replicates and 12 birds per replicate for 12 weeks (65-76 weeks). Results and Discussion Using apple pulp and probiotic in diets improved the egg production performance, egg quality traits and blood parameters of laying hens (P 0.05). Probiotic improved egg weight, egg production percentage, egg mass, feed conversion ratio and Haugh unit. In interaction effects, using apple pulp and probiotic improved the performance and egg quality traits of laying hens. The highest egg weight, egg production, egg mass and the best feed conversion were obtained with diet containing 4% apple pulp and 0.005% probiotic. Also the highest amount of albumin, eggshell thickness and Haugh unit were observed with 4% apple pulp and 0.05% probiotic. Apple pulp decreased the blood levels of triglyceride, cholesterol and albumin and increased HDL (P>0.05). In interaction effect, using apple pulp with probiotic reduced the amount of triglyceride and albumin meanwhile the amount of blood cholesterol increased (P>0.05). Apple pulp contains considerable amount of essentials nutrients such as vitamins and minerals and secondary substances like antioxidants, crude fiber and pectin. Use of apple pulp in hens diets improved the digestive tract health and highly amount of these compositions transfer to birds body and improve their performance, egg quality and blood parameters. The high amount of dietary fiber in apple pulp may be the main reason of blood parameters improving. The fibrous diets not only caused the secretion of bile increase but also increased the amount of cholesterol excretion compared to normal condition. Probiotic created a good environment in digestive tract by decreasing the population of harmful microorganisms, increasing the number of gram positive microorganisms and reduced pH of digesta in gut which can have positive effects on performance of laying hens. In diets containing probiotic, only productive parameters improved, whereas egg quality and blood biochemical parameters were not affected, meanwhile incorporated probiotic in apple pulp treatments, effectively improved egg quality traits and blood biochemical parameters more than performance. Apple pulp contain some composition that their digestion have some difficulties for laying hens, so, incorporation of probiotics such as protexin in diets those containing highly amount of undesirable composition such as fiber and pectin, can have good effects on egg production, egg traits and can improve blood biochemical parameters and be useful for efficient use of apple pulp by hens Conclusion It can be resulted that using 4% of apple pulp in laying hens not only had no adverse effects on performance, egg quality traits and blood biochemical parameters, but also could effectively improve most of them, in contrary with more fibrous feeds that increased the amount of feed intake in bird, using 4% apple pulp did not have significant effects on the amount of daily feed intake in laying hens. Using 0.005% of probiotic can improve the performance, egg traits and blood parameters in laying hens.

The effect of feeding different dietary levels of Dried Whole Eggs (DWE) processed by various ways during 14-20 wk of age on the performance of pullets up to 25 wk of age was investigated. Eggs that are not approved for human consumption were collected and then were dried at 55 C. DWE were processed by o freezing at -18 C, freezing with boiling and autoclaving at 121 C. It was included in the pullet diets at 2.5 and o o 5%. There was also, a control diet that was fed without DWE. Thus, the experimental design was factorial (2 x 3) with added a control group (0% DWE). Each diet was fed to three replicates of 8 pullets each. Pullet's performance, egg production and quality traits and absolute and relative weight of reproductive organs was studied. Growth of pullets up to 25 wk of age was not significantly affected by various processing techniques, however, age at 50% production significantly decreased due to autoclaving compared with freezing with boiling technique. Level of 5% DWE increased growth of pullets up to 20 wk of age and this effect diminished at 25 wk of age. Laying rate, egg weight, egg mass and Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) were significantly improved due to feeding DWE processed by freezing with boiling compared to the other methods and this was obvious within each DWE level. Age at 50% production significantly decreased and egg production traits significantly improved due to inclusion of 5% DWE. Egg quality traits of fresh eggs were not significantly affected by DWE level and/or technique of processing. However, freezing technique maintained better Haugh unit score and freezing with boiling maintained better yolk index after stored for one month in the refrigeration. On the other hand, 2.5% DWE maintained shell thickness and Haugh unit score of eggs stored for one month in the refrigeration. Absolute and relative weight of organs were significantly affected by processing methods and/or DWE levels and 5% DWE significantly increased absolute and relative weight of blood, intestinal length and leg color while significantly decreased absolute and relative weight of liver and absolute weight of intestinal. In conclusion, up to 5% frozen with boiled DWE can be included in the pullet's diets during 14-20 wk of age without adverse effect on pullet's performance and egg production and quality traits up to 25 wk of age.

The objective of this study was to examine the effects of kratom leaf powder supplementation in layer diet on production performance and egg quality. Forty 73-week-old Hisex Brown hens were divided into 4 treatment groups with 5 replications of 2 hens each. A basal diet supplemented with kratom leaf powder at 0, 0.5, 1.0 or 2.0% of diet for 8 weeks were fed to these hens. Body weight, egg production, egg weight, egg mass, feed intake and feed conversation ratio were recorded. Egg quality was measured on the last day of the experiment. The results showed that supplementation of kratom leaf powder at 0.5% level gave better egg production, egg mass and feed conversion ratio than other groups (P &lt; 0.01). In addition, the supplementation of kratom leaf powder resulted in a reduction in feed intake (P &lt; 0.01). In terms of egg quality, it was found that eggshell weight, eggshell strength, eggshell thickness, yolk weight, albumen weight, yolk color and Haugh unit were not statistically different (P &gt; 0.05). From these findings, it can be concluded that kratom leaf powder can be supplemented in layer diet at 0.5% level.

The study aimed to determine the effect of limestone or extruded eggshells on the egg and eggshell quality of laying hens. A total of 240 and 60 eggs were collected from diets D&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;1&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt; (limestone) and D&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt; (extruded eggshells), respectively, with two levels of calcium source (L): L&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;1&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt; (4% limestone or eggshells) and L&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt; (8% limestone or eggshells) at 44, 52, 60, 68, and 72 weeks of age. These eggs were obtained from an ongoing project to measure egg quality and dry matter content. Diet D&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;1 &amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;showed higher albumen width and height, Haugh unit, and a lower egg yolk height than D&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt; (p&amp;lt;0.05). However, the percentage of albumen and yolk weight, as well as the yolk index, tended to be higher in D&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt; than in D&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;1&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;. Other egg quality traits were similar between diets (p&amp;gt;0.05). The L&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt; was superior to L&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;1&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt; in both diets for egg quality traits (p&amp;lt;0.01), and the L&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt; in the extruded eggshell diet performed better than L&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt; in limestone diet. The egg, albumen, yolk, and eggshell weight, albumen width, and yolk height were increased but the eggshell strength, yolk color, albumen height, eggshell thickness, and membrane thickness were decreased with advancing the birds&amp;apos; age. Egg, albumen, yolk, and eggshell weight, as well as albumen width and yolk height, increased with the advancing age of the birds, whereas eggshell strength, yolk color, albumen height, eggshell thickness, and membrane thickness decreased. Egg, albumen, and eggshell with membrane weight were influenced by the diet × L interaction, while diet × age interaction affected other traits. Egg quality traits were influenced by L x A interaction, but were not affected by D x L x A interaction. The dry matter content of an egg was similar between diets, but moisture content was higher in D&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt; than in D&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;1&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;. The dry matter content of albumen was influenced by diet x age interaction. Therefore, the 8% extruded eggshell appears to be the most suitable diet for improving egg and eggshell quality.

Simple SummaryPhenolic compounds from grape products are known to possess antioxidant activity. Furthermore, grape polyphenols (anthocyanins) could be valorised as natural pigments. However, the dietary use of grape products in laying hen husbandry and its effect on egg quality traits and yolk lipid oxidation have been scarcely studied. In the present research work, egg yolk colour and Haugh units were increased with the intake of grape pomace and extract. Moreover, dietary inclusion of grape pomace at 60 g/kg increased the proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the yolk and improved the yolk lipid oxidative stability during the storage of eggs, whereas no effect was obtained with grape extract. Regarding hen performance, both grape products reduced feed intake, feed conversion ratio and average egg weight, but they did not affect daily egg production and mass. Feeding grape pomace, at 60 g/kg, and grape extract, either at 0.5 or 1.0 g/kg, decreased protein digestibility. In conclusion, the addition of grape products in the diet of laying hens improved the egg quality but reduced feed intake and egg weight. Dietary grape pomace showed higher antioxidant potential in egg yolk than grape extract.An experiment was conducted to assess in laying hens the effect of including grape pomace (GP, at 30 or 60 g/kg) or grape extract (GE, at 0.5 or 1.0 g/kg) on egg production, feed conversion ratio, protein and polyphenol digestibility, egg weight, egg quality, yolk fatty acid profile and oxidative stability of yolk lipids. No differences were detected among diets for egg production (83.8%, on average) or egg mass (56.8 g/d, on average). However, the average egg weight was lower (p = 0.004) for dietary treatments GP 30, GP 60 and GE 0.5 (67.5 g, on average) than for control hens (68.5 g). Accordingly, in hens fed the GP diets the proportion of XL eggs was lower (p = 0.008) than in control hens, while the proportion of M eggs was higher (p < 0.001) in hens fed the diets GP 30, GP 60 and GE 0.5 than in the control group. The dietary inclusion of both GP and GE decreased daily feed intake (120.9 vs. 125.3 g/d, p < 0.001) and the feed conversion ratio (2.09 vs. 2.18, p = 0.01). Feeding GP at 60 g/kg or GE reduced excreta protein digestibility (54.7 vs. 62.8%, p < 0.001), whereas all GP and GE diets showed higher excreta polyphenol digestibility than the control treatment (57.2 vs. 41.0%, p < 0.001). While yolk colour score was increased with all grape diets (8.12 vs. 7.34, p < 0.001), the dietary inclusion of GP, either at 30 or 60 g/kg, and that of GE at 1.0 g/kg increased the Haugh units of the albumen (80.8 vs. 76.4 Haugh units, p = 0.001). Shell thickness remained unaffected by dietary treatments (365.2 μm, on average). When included in the diet at 60 g/kg, GP reduced the proportion of saturated fatty acids in the yolk (31.6 vs. 32.9%, p = 0.001) and that of monounsaturated fatty acids (39.5 vs. 41.4%, p < 0.001), while it increased the percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids (28.9 vs. 25.7%, p < 0.001). In fresh eggs, no significant differences were found for the malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration (0.146 mg/kg, on average). In stored eggs, the MDA amount was lower in the eggs of the laying hens fed GP at 60 g/kg than in the eggs of the control hens (1.14 vs. 1.64 mg/kg, p = 0.025). In conclusion, the inclusion of grape pomace, either at 30 or 60 g/kg, and grape extract at 1.0 g/kg in the diet of laying hens improved some egg quality traits, but feeding grape pomace resulted in a lower average weight of eggs. Nevertheless, feeding laying hens with diets containing grape pomace resulted in a higher antioxidant potential in egg yolk than dietary inclusion of grape extract.

Silymarin is known to have immunomodulating, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. This study aimed to investigate the effects of micelle silymarin (MS) supplementation on production performance, egg quality, egg water loss, and blood profile in Hy-line brown laying hens. For 12 wk, a total of 288, 28-wk-old laying hens were randomly allocated into one of three treatment groups. The dietary treatments were control (CON) a basal diet and a basal diet supplemented with 0.03, and 0.06% of MS. All hens were housed in an individual cage with 38 cm width × 50 cm length × 40 cm height. Growth performance was recorded at d 1, wk 6, and wk 12. The egg production and feed conversion ratio were recorded at the end of every week. The egg quality and water loss were measured at the end of wk 4, 8, and 12. At initial and at the end of wk 12, 5 mL of blood was collected to analyze aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), triglycerides, albumin, and cholesterol concentrations. All data were analyzed by the GLM procedure of SAS. The polynomial orthogonal contrasts of increasing dietary MS supplementation were examined by linear and quadratic effects. The inclusion of MS supplement in laying hen diet did not exhibit significant impact on growth performance. However, MS group showed linear improvement in egg weight, Haugh Units, and eggshell strength throughout the trial period (P &amp;lt; 0.05). Additionally, egg yolk color and eggshell thickness indicated linear improvements particularly at wk 4 and 8 (P &amp;lt; 0.05). While albumen height and egg water in MS group were linearly increased at wk 12 (P &amp;lt; 0.05). Compared with CON, laying hens fed MS supplement has linearly decreased the ALP and cholesterol concentrations in the serum (P &amp;lt; 0.05). Based on the findings, we inferred that the inclusion of 0.04 to 0.06% MS in the laying hen diet would not only increase the production performance, egg quality, and egg water loss traits but also to improve laying hens’ health.

Fish and soybean meal are known as common utilized crude protein sources in poultry diets. Quail birds often need higher requirements of dietary protein which influences its productive performance. The aim of the experiment is to determine the impact of protein source with different levels on egg production and egg quality characteristics. The experiment was carried out at animal production dept., University of Duhok, Kurdistan Region- Iraq, during spring 2020 for 56 days. The birds were divided into two main groups (fish meal and soybean meal) with three levels of crude protein (CP) as sub groups (20%, 23% and 26%). At 35 days of age, 240 quails were sexed and distributed on wire cages as four replications for each protein level within each group (treatment) as family (8 pullets with 2 cocks). The investigated characters were; Egg weight (EW), egg number (EN), egg mass (EM), egg quality characteristics (shape index, high, weight and diameter of both, yolk and albumen, egg shell thickness and weight and Haugh units); feed intake (FI), feed conversion ratio (FCR), hatchability and fertility percentage. The main results were as follows; EW, EM and most of egg quality characteristics did not show significant difference (P&gt;0.05) either by source of protein or its levels; also, FI and FCR did not differ significantly (P&gt;0.05) by the effect of protein source; while EN, FI and FCR were affected significantly (P≤0.05) by CP level. To conclude, there was no obvious trend for the effect of both CP source and level on early egg yield and egg quality in J. quail.

Simple SummaryThis study investigated how different types of dietary fats affect the performance and egg quality of Japanese quail during the laying period. A total of 350 quail, 60 days old, were fed diets containing soybean oil, corn oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, or poultry fat. The birds were randomly divided into groups and their performance was measured every 28 days, while egg quality was evaluated at the end of each period. At 84 days, one bird from each group was analyzed to study nutrient use, blood characteristics, and organ health. The results showed that sunflower oil improved egg production, egg mass, and feed efficiency; poultry fat enhanced yolk color and other egg quality traits; and canola oil increased nutrient digestibility. None of the fat sources caused negative changes in blood parameters or organ traits. Overall, all diets maintained the birds’ normal physiological health. These findings suggest that different lipid sources can be used in quail diets according to their cost and availability, allowing producers to maintain good productivity and egg quality without affecting bird health.Japanese quail production can be optimized by selecting appropriate dietary lipid sources, yet comparative effects on performance and egg quality during the laying phase are not fully established. This study evaluated the impact of five lipid sources, namely soybean oil, corn oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, and poultry fat, on performance, egg quality, nutrient metabolism, serum metabolites, and organ traits of 350 Japanese quail aged 60 days with an average weight of 170 ± 10 g. Birds were assigned to diets containing 2800 kcal/kg in a completely randomized design with 10 replicates of seven birds each. Performance was recorded over three 28-day periods and egg quality assessed at the end of each period; at 84 days, one bird per replicate was sampled for nutrient metabolism, serum metabolites, and organ characteristics, and a metabolism trial estimated metabolizability coefficients and metabolizable energy. Data were analyzed by Tukey’s test at the 5% level. Egg production (p = 0.010) and marketable egg production (p = 0.008) were highest with soybean, corn, and sunflower oils, while feed conversion per dozen eggs was less efficient with canola oil (p = 0.048). Egg quality differed in specific gravity (p = 0.027), yolk color (p = 0.008), Haugh unit (p = 0.011), and air cell size (p = 0.001), with poultry fat improving yolk color and Haugh unit. Canola oil increased dry matter (p = 0.027) and ether extract digestibility (p = 0.026), while serum metabolites, organ weights, and reproductive traits were not affected (p > 0.05). All diets supported physiological health, and lipid sources can be chosen according to cost and availability to optimize quail production without compromising performance or health.