Table 4.
Effects of AM on production performance and egg quality of laying hens.
| Items | Control | VC | 1% AM | 4% AM | 7% AM | p-Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Production Performance | ||||||
| BW/kg | 1.82 ± 0.03 | 1.92 ± 0.03 | 1.95 ± 0.03 * | 1.90 ± 0.03 | 1.89 ± 0.03 | 0.033 |
| EW/g | 62.14 ± 0.88 | 59.97 ± 0.77 | 60.86 ± 0.73 | 60.03 ± 0.60 | 58.61 ± 0.67 * | 0.017 |
| Egg rate % | 86.31 ± 1.67 | 88.14 ± 1.48 | 89.95 ± 1.42 | 89.36 ± 2.23 | 88.46 ± 1.80 | 0.277 |
| ADFI/g | 126.67 ± 3.21 | 116.70 ± 6.92 | 148.80 ± 13.92 | 116.65 ± 12.20 | 130.49 ± 7.84 | 0.166 |
| FER | 2.21 ± 0.07 | 2.06 ± 0.11 | 2.62 ± 0.26 | 2.06 ± 0.21 | 2.30 ± 0.13 | 0.172 |
| Egg Quality | ||||||
| Egg shape index | 1.26 ± 0.01 | 1.25 ± 0.01 | 1.28 ± 0.01 | 1.27 ± 0.01 | 1.26 ± 0.00 | 0.197 |
| Egg yolk color | 9.11 ± 0.14 | 8.86 ± 0.16 | 9.42 ± 0.15 | 8.67 ± 0.16 | 9.17 ± 0.15 | 0.007 |
| ETS/mm | 0.31 ± 0.01 | 0.29 ± 0.01 | 0.31 ± 0.01 | 0.28 ± 0.01 ** | 0.29 ± 0.00 | 0.001 |
| ESH/kg.cm−2 | 54.61 ± 0.58 | 57.89 ± 1.31 | 57.95 ± 1.23 | 55.38 ± 1.04 | 55.94 ± 1.25 | 0.037 |
| PH/mm | 7.57 ± 0.19 | 7.39 ± 0.11 | 7.69 ± 0.17 | 7.95 ± 0.16 | 7.59 ± 0.17 | 0.171 |
| Hastelloy unit | 85.86 ± 1.19 | 85.76 ± 0.62 | 87.14 ± 0.91 | 88.15 ± 0.91 | 87.16 ± 0.94 | 0.134 |
| Yolk weight/mg | 32.00 ± 0.00 | 32.70 ± 0.00 | 34.30 ± 0.00 | 33.80 ± 0.00 | 32.60 ± 0.00 | 0.104 |
| EWW/mg | 72.10 ± 0.01 | 72.30 ± 0.01 | 73.00 ± 0.01 | 72.10 ± 0.01 | 70.00 ± 0.01 | 0.473 |
Values are shown as mean ± SD (n = 6). Significant differences compared to control group are designated as ** show very significant difference at p < 0.01, * show significant difference at p < 0.05. Abbreviations: BW, Body weight; EW, Egg weight; ADFI, Average daily intake; FER, Feed to egg ratio; ETS, Eggshell thickness; ESH, Eggshell strength; PH, Protein height; EWW, Egg white weight.