Effects of Dietary Supplementation of Cornerian Cherry, Garlic Powder, and Mixed Herbal Essential Oil on Productive Performance and Egg Quality in Laying Hens

The current research was designed to evaluate the effect of dietary addition of garlic powder, Cornerian cherry fruit powder (CH) and a mixture essential oil of castor and cashew nut shell (EO) on performance, egg quality and some blood parameters in commercial laying hens. One hundred and twenty-eight 58-wk-old LSL laying hens were used in 4 treatments with 4 replicates and 8 birds per each in a completely randomized design. The experimental diets included: 1) Basal diet; 2) Basal diet +1% garlic powder; 3) Basal diet+1% CH and 4) Basal diet+0.15 percent EO. The experimental diets were fed from 59 to 63 weeks of age. The productive performance was recorded from 61 to 63 weeks of age and blood and egg yolk parameters measured at the end of the experimental period. There were no significant differences in laying hen performance among all treatments. Albumen height and Haugh unit was increased in CH compared to the control group (p<0.05). The blood cholesterol, HDL, triglyceride and aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase enzymes did not show any significant difference among treatments. The garlic and CH powders significantly decreased egg yolk cholesterol concentration (p<0.05), however it was not significantly affected by the EO. Finally, it was concluded that addition of CH and garlic powder in the diet of laying hens could improve the egg quality and reduce yolk cholesterol concentrations.