Effects of Different Levels of Cinnamon Powder on Production Performance and Egg Quality of Laying Hens in Wheat-Based Diet

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of adding different levels of cinnamon powder (CNP) on production performance and egg quality traits of laying hens in wheat–based diets. In this experiment 168 White Leghorn laying hens with 60 week age and average weight of 1550 grand average production of 65% was assigned to 7 treatment with 6 replications and 4 birds each based on completely randomized design. Experimental diets were formed as follows: control diet based on wheat-soybean, control diet + 0.05% antibiotics, control diet + 0.05% xylanase enzyme ,control diet + 0.05% vitamin E, diet + 1% CNP, control diet + 2% CNP and control diet + 3% CNP. The results showed that all experimental treatments except antibiotics increased egg production compared to control treatment (P <0.05). None of the experimental treatments had a significant effect on the eggs weight. Treatments containing CNP, vitamin E, and the xylanase enzyme significantly increased the egg mass (P <0.05). Treatments containing CNP and vitamin E significantly reduced feed conversion ratio (FCR) (P <0.05). The effect of experimental treatments on most egg quality traits was not significant. The results showed that the use of 2% CNP in the diet of laying hens leads to improved performance and egg storage durability.