Table 2.
Effects of EO supplementation on productive performance and egg quality.
| Items | CG | EO | SEM | p-Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Productive performance | ||||
| Egg production rate, % | 81.62 ± 4.94 | 82.70 ± 3.59 | 1.08 | 0.64 |
| Egg weight, g | 60.80 ± 0.27 | 60.96 ± 0.89 | 0.84 | 0.35 |
| Feed-to-egg ratio, g/g | 2.01 ± 0.14 | 1.99 ± 0.12 | 0.03 | 0.80 |
| Egg-breaking rate, % | 0.65 ± 0.16 | 0.41 ± 0.13 | 0.36 | 0.01 |
| Egg quality | ||||
| Egg shape index | 1.31 ± 0.01 | 1.31 ± 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.89 |
| Shell-breaking strength, kg/cm2 | 3.81 ± 0.08 | 3.98 ± 0.16 | 0.04 | 0.04 |
| Shell thickness, mm | 0.38 ± 0.02 | 0.39 ± 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.19 |
| Haugh units | 71.83 ± 7.34 | 74.02 ± 4.64 | 1.77 | 0.55 |
Abbreviations: CG, control group; EO, essential oils.