2. Effect of dietary soya oil for optimizing the pullet egg size

Abstract

Among a number of factors that influence egg size in laying pullets, the most significant one is the nutrition of the laying hens. Dietary supplementation of oils enriched with linoleic acid, for example, soya oil, has a positive impact on egg size. The current experiment was aimed at assessing the impact of dietary soya oil as a source of linoleic acid on egg quality, egg size in particular, and the laying performance of commercial laying hens. A total of 48 NovoGen-Brown layers aged 22 weeks were allocated at random to three dietary treatments, with four replications per treatment, and each replication consisted of four birds. Three different types of diets namely T1 (control diet), T2 (control + 1.5 % soya oil), T3 (control + 2.5 % soya oil) were fed for 15 weeks. Diets supplemented with 1.5% soya oil and 2.5 % soya oil significantly improved the egg weight and positively influenced egg production. Egg mass was numerically better due to the supplementation of both doses of soya oil at dietary levels. Percent eggshell significantly increased in eggs assessed for quality at 28 weeks in 2.5% soya oil supplemented group. Shape index, yolk color score and boiled egg weight were not affected by soya oil supplementation. Taken all together, it may be concluded that the dietary supplementation of 1.5% soya oil positively influenced laying performance and egg quality characteristics of commercial layers. So, a commercial layer diet supplemented with 1.5 % soya oil may be considered to improve the egg size and other performance parameters as well as the egg quality of laying hens.