Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Faculty Member of Animal Science Research Department, Islamic Azad University, Golpayegan Branch
2 Animal Science Research Department, Gilan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Rasht, Iran.
3 Department of animal science, Golpayegan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Golpayegan, Iran
4 Faculty Member of Animal Science Research Department, Islamic Azad University, Shahin Shahr Branch
Abstract
To study the possibility of using date meal in laying hens diet, 300 Hy-line W-36 (40 weeks old) were used based on a completely randomized design consisting 5 treatments and 4 replications. The experimental diets were formulated with same energy and protein content, and the experimental treatments were: 1) control, without date meal; 2 and 3) 5.0 and 7.5% of date meal with pit, respectively; 4 and 5) 5.0 and 7.5% of date meal without pit, respectively. The presence of pit in the date meal resulted a relative increase in the percentage of crude protein and fiber and a relative decrease in the metabolizable energy of the product. The concentration of cholesterol in the yolk was significantly decreased by feeding both levels of date meal with pit and its concentration in the blood also was fell significantly by inclusion 7.5% date meal with pit (P<0.05). Hens fed diets containing date meal with pit exhibited significantly lower yolk weight (P<0.05) and egg weight was decreased due to the inclusion of date meal with pit in both levels or 5.0% date meal with without pit in the diet (P<0.05). Consumption of date meal with pit decreased egg mass and increased food conversion ratio significantly (P<0.05). Feed intake and the feed cost per kilogram of produced egg were not affected by treatments. Despite the reduction of egg cholesterol, using of date meal, especially with pit, negatively affected the laying hen’s performance and could not improve the economic efficiency of the rearing period.
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