Effects of dietary Chinese herbal mixtures on productive performance, egg quality, immune status, caecal and offspring meconial microbiota of Wenchang breeder hens.

ABSTRACT: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of Chinese herbal mixtures (CHMs) on productive performance, egg quality, immune status, anti-apoptosis ability, caecal microbiota, and offspring meconial microbiota in hens. A total of 168 thirty-week-old Wenchang breeder hens were randomly divided into two groups, with each group comprising six replicate pens of fourteen hens. The groups were fed a basal diet (CON group) and a basal diet with 1,000 mg/kg CHMs (CHMs group) for 10 weeks. Our results showed that dietary supplementation with CHMs increased the laying rate, average egg weight, hatch of fertile, and offspring chicks' weight while concurrently reducing the feed conversion ratio (FCR) and embryo mortality (p < 0.05). The addition of CHMs resulted in significant improvements in vari

SUBMITTER: Liu M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10755868 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature