PERFORMANCE AND EGG QUALITY PARAMETERS OF LAYER HENS FED DIET WITH AND WITHOUT VITAMIN E SUPPLEMENTATION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51791/njap.vi.6259Keywords:
Vitamin E, Golden link strain, egg weight, egg shell, egg diameterAbstract
Performance and egg quality parameters of layer hens fed diet with and without vitamin E
supplementation was determined. A total of hundred (100) Golden sex link strains were used for this study. At point of lay (19weeks) the hens were transferred to battery cage and were randomly assigned to two dietary treatments with 50 birds per treatment. Each treatment had five replicates with 10 birds per replicate. Each treatment received diet in t-test experimental design daily. Birds in T1 (control) had no vitamin E supplementation in their diet, while those in T2 received 400mg vitamin E kg-1 dietary supplementation. From the results, there was no significant (p>0.05) difference in mean values for body weight gain, while mean values for egg weight, egg length, egg diameter, yolk weight, albumen weight and shell weight of the birdswere significant (p<0.05). Hens in treatment two which were fed diet containing vitamin E supplementation had the highest (p<0.05) values in egg weight, egg length, egg diameter, yolk weight, albumen weight and shell weight compared to treatment one (control). In conclusion, dietary supplementation of vitamin E at 400mg kg-1 enhanced egg quality in the hens is recommended.
