Effect of Some Essential Oil Supplementation to Laying Hen Diet on Performance and Egg Quality

This study aimed to determine the effects of adding myrtus (Myrtus communis L.) leaf oil and vitex (Vitex agnus-castus) oil in laying hen diet on performance parameters such as live weight, egg production, feed intake, feed efficiency and the internal and the external of egg quality. In the study, a total of 80 white laying hens aged 30 weeks, assigned to 4 groups with 10 replicates. Control group was fed with basal diet. The treatment groups were fed with the diets supplemented 2 ml/kg of myrtus leaf oil, 2 ml/kg of vitex oil and 1 ml/kg of myrtus leaf oil + 1 ml/kg of vitex oil were added to treatment groups feed respectively. In the study, 28.61% of α-pinene and 46.32% of 1.8-cineole were identified in myrtus leaf oil and 13.22% of α-pinene, 14.03% of sabinene and 26.14% of 1.8-cineole were identified as significant active compounds of vitex oil. Supplementation of myrtus leaf oil and vitex oil alone and mix to laying hens diet did not affect body weight, feed intake, egg production and feed efficiency. Egg specific gravity was decreased significantly in group including vitex oil (P<0.05). Haugh unit, egg shell thickness, yolk index and albumen index were not affected by the volatile (P>0.05). Egg yolk color decreased by mix supplementation of myrtus leaf oil and vitex oil to diet (P≤0.001), but no change was determined by supplementation of these oils as alone (P>0.05). Consequently, it was determined that supplementation as alone or mix of myrtus and vitex volatile oil to the laying hen diet did not affect production performance and internal and external quality of the egg, except for egg specific gravity and yolk color during the peak egg production period.