The Effects of Canthaxanthin on Laying Performance, Egg Quality, and Yolk Pigmentation of Laying Hens and Laying Ducks

• Main Authors: Ahmad Windu Bahari, 巴溫篤
• Other Authors: How-Hong Hsieh
• Format: Others
• Published: 2012
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/08301917267543137248

碩士 === 國立屏東科技大學 === 動物科學與畜產系所 === 101 === Two trials were carried out to investigate the effects of canthaxanthin on laying performance, egg quality, and yolk pigmentation of laying hens and laying ducks. Thirty-six 52 weeks-old White Hy-Line W-36 laying hens and thirty-six 80 weeks-old Brown Tsaiya laying ducks were kept in individual battery cages. Both trials were divided into six treatments with six replications per treatment and one bird per replication. Beside the control (Con) (commercial diet without pigmentation), the other five experimental diets were supplemented with 5 ppm of five different canthaxanthin commercial products (A, B, C, D, and E). The experimental periods were divided into four stages. The first stage was the adaptation stage for the birds to get used to experimental diets and environments (7 days). At the second stage the birds were fed with diets supplemented with canthaxanthin until reach the plateau of yolk color score (14 days). The third stage was the stable phase of yolk color score, the birds were fed with diets supplemented with canthaxanthin for 28 days, while the fourth stage was withdraw all canthaxanthin from the feed until the pigmentation effect vanish from the egg yolks (14 days). Laying performances (feed intake, hen-day egg production, egg weight, egg mass, and feed conversion) were recorded daily in all stages. Egg qualities (Haugh unit, shell thickness, shell percentage, shell strength, and shape index) and yolk pigmentations (yolk color score, reflectance colorimetry, and color stability) were recorded weekly in third stage. The color meter with L* a* b* system was used to determine the reflectance colorimetry value of egg yolks of both birds. Data collected were analyzed by one-way ANOVA from Completely Randomized Design and Duncan’s New Multiple Range Test. The results showed that at the second stage laying hens and laying ducks required 7 and 4 days to reach plateau of yolk color score, respectively. In fourth stage, laying hens and laying ducks required 8 and 14 days to eliminate pigmentation effects. The conclusion of current study was laying performances and egg quality of both birds were not significantly influenced by different canthaxanthin products (P > 0.05), while yolk pigmentation of both birds were significantly influenced by the treatments (P < 0.05). Canthaxanthin from product E (HE and DE) gave the highest result for yolk pigmentations of both birds.