Effect of inclusion of blood meal in diets on eggshell color of brown-egg laying hens

Abstract

Background and Objective: The main brown-colored pigment in eggshells is protoporphyrin IX (PP9) produced from the hen’s eggshell gland. Blood Meal (BM), which is a by-product of animal processing industry, contains high amounts of Fe and PP9. Thus, the current experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of BM inclusion in diets on eggshell color of brown-egg laying hens. Materials and Methods: A total of one hundred twenty 43-week-old Hy-line brown laying hens were randomly allotted to one of three dietary treatments with five replicates. A commercial-type control diet was formulated. Two additional diets were prepared by adding 0.5 or 1.0% BM to the control diet. Productive performance was summarized for 6 weeks. At the end of the 6-week feeding trial, four eggs per replicate were collected to assess the egg quality trait. Results: Productive performance was not affected by increasing levels of BM in diets. However, increasing levels of BM in diets decreased egg yolk color (Linear, p = 0.01) and eggshell hunter b* value (Quadratic, p<0.01) in brown-egg laying hens. Conclusion: Dietary supplementation of BM negatively affects egg yolk color and brown coloration of eggshells in brown-egg laying hens. © 2017 F. M. Pitargue et al.