Influence of rapeseed cake, linseed cake and hemp seed cake on laying performance of hens and fatty acid composition of egg yolk

Abstract

In hens the effects of expeller/cakes from rapeseed, linseed, and hemp seed were investigated on feed intake, laying performance and fatty acid composition of egg yolk. A total of 216 individually caged laying hens were allocated to nine dietary treatments (5, 10, 15 % cake) and fed for six laying months. For feed intake, egg mass production and feed-to-egg mass ratio at 15 % dietary cake level a significant lower performance was shown compared with the 5 and 10 % cake level groups. Also interaction was significant for all these parameters, indicating that the cake level acted differently for the three cakes. The egg mass production was lower in the linseed cake than in the hempseed groups and the hens fed the linseed cake needed significantly more feed per kg egg mass compared with both the other cakes tested. Increasing dietary level of all oil seed cakes lowered the yolk percentage and increased the egg white percentage. Increased dietary levels of all three oil seed cakes lowered the percentages of most saturated fatty acids and also the percentages of the monounsaturated fatty acids. The linoleic acid and the linolenic acid as polyunsaturated fatty acids were heightened by increasing the cake levels from 5 to 10 and 15 % in the diet. The results allow the conclusion that compound feeds with up to 10 % of cakes does not negatively influence the laying performance of hens and provides the possibility of the enrichment of yolk fat with polyunsaturated fatty acids.