Comparison effect of adding artificial and natural antioxidant on performance, physiological traits, antioxidant status and eggs quality of brown layer

Abstract

Abstract This study was carried out at the Poultry Research Station belong to State Board of Agricultural Research (Ministry of Agriculture, Abu-Ghraib). The study lasted for 24 weeks (168 days) from 17/10/2010 to 2/4/2011 , 360 Lohman brown layer (28 weeks of age) were randomly distributed into 9 treatments , with two replicate per treatment (20 hens per replicate), the first treatment was the control group, the hens in 2nd and 3rd treatments were given vitamin E at the rate of 200 and 300 mg/kg feed respectively , the 4 th and 5th groups of hens were given vitamin C at the rate of 200 and 300 mg/kg feed resp., grape seed was given to 6th and 7th groups at the rate of 0.5 and 1 g/kg feed resp., however , rosemary leaves were given to 8th and 9th groups at the rate of 0.5 and 1 g/kg feed resp. The results revealed that adding rosemary leaves at the rate of 0.5 g/kg significantly (P<0.05) increased egg production, egg mass, and significantly improved feed conversion ratio as compared with the control group. The addition of vit. C group (at the level of 200 mg/kg feed) significantly decrease relative weight of shell and SWASA as compared with the control group, whereas, relative weight of albumen were significantly increased in all natural antioxidant treatments and treatment of vit. E (200 mg/kg feed). There were significant improvement in yolk index for grape seed treatment (1g/kg feed), also, relative weight of yolk for grape seed treatment (0.5 and 1 g/kg feed) compared to control and vit. E (200 mg/kg feed) groups. Adding natural antioxidant (grape seed and rosemary leaves) significantly increased activity of glutathione peroxidase enzyme in plasma, glutathione and heme-iron concentration, while, peroxide value, MDA and free fatty acids percentage were decreased significantly in liver tissue of natural antioxidant compared with the artificial antioxidant and control treatments. Addition of natural antioxidant significantly decreased the activity of ALT and AST enzymes, glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol and Non HDL in blood plasma, also, there were significant decrease in liver fat percentage, whereas, significant increase in the activity of ALP enzyme, total protein, albumen and HDL in blood plasma of hen consumed diet having natural antioxidant (grape seed and rosemary leaves) as compared with the control and artificial antioxidant treatments. It can be concluded from this study that adding natural antioxidant leads to protect diet fat from oxidation and improve layer performance due to increasing utility of energy and other nutrients of diet.