Effect of scutellaria baicalensis georgi extract on egg laying performance,egg quality and immune function of heat-stressed laying hens
This study aims to explore the effects of Huangcen extract on egg production performance,egg quality,and immune function of heat stressed laying hens.Select 600 healthy Roman powder laying hens with similar egg production performance and around 70 weeks of age,and randomly divide them into 5 groups with 8 replicates in each group,with 15 chickens per replicate.The control group and heat stress group were fed with basic diets,respectively.Experimental groups Ⅰ,Ⅱ,and Ⅲwere fed with experimental feed supplemented with 15,30,and 60 mg/kg baicalin extract on the basis of the basic feed,for a total of 9 weeks.The results showed that after 1-3 weeks,the egg production rates of experimental groups Ⅱ and Ⅲ were significantly increased by 8.27%and 11.92%(P<0.05)compared to the heat stress group,while the feed to egg ratio was significantly reduced by 7.21%and 9.34%(P<0.05).The soft break rate was significantly reduced by 7.38%and 26.57%(P<0.05),respectively;From 4 to 6 weeks,the egg production rates of experimental groups Ⅱ and Ⅲ were significantly increased by 11.35%and 10.98%(P<0.05)compared to the heat stress group,while the feed to egg ratio was significantly reduced by 10.50%and 10.45%(P<0.05).The soft break rate was significantly reduced by 15.33%and 16.11%(P<0.05),respectively;From 7 to 9 weeks,the egg production rates of experimental groups Ⅱ and Ⅲ were significantly increased by 4.08%and 7.71%(P<0.05)compared to the heat stress group,while the feed to egg ratio was significantly reduced by 2.95%and 6.01%(P<0.05).The soft break rate was significantly reduced by 14.09%and 15.28%(P<0.05),respectively.The eggshell strength of experimental groups Ⅱ and Ⅲ was significantly increased compared to the heat stress group(P<0.05),and the Hasselblad unit of experimental group Ⅲ was significantly increased compared to the heat stress group(P<0.05).The crude protein and calcium content of experimental groups Ⅱ and Ⅲ were significantly increased compared to the heat stress group(P<0.05).The serum levels of IL-10 and TNF-α in experimental groups Ⅱ and Ⅲ were significantly reduced(P<0.05),and the levels of IgA and G were significantly increased(P<0.05);In summary,experimental data shows that supplementing Huangcen extract(60 mg/kg)can improve the production performance and egg quality of laying hens by enhancing their immune system under heat stress.
heat stressscutellaria baicalensis georgi extractlayerproduction performanceegg qualityimmune function