Effects of Fish Bone Meal Supplementation on Growth Performance, Blood Immunity, Intestinal Morphology, and Gut Microbiota in Laying Hens
The poultry industry relies heavily on soybean meal to feed egg-laying chickens, but its high cost and price instability necessitate the exploration of more affordable and reliable alternatives. Fish bone meal, a nutritious byproduct from fish processing, offers high-quality protein and essential mi...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Animals |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/4/548 |
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| Summary: | The poultry industry relies heavily on soybean meal to feed egg-laying chickens, but its high cost and price instability necessitate the exploration of more affordable and reliable alternatives. Fish bone meal, a nutritious byproduct from fish processing, offers high-quality protein and essential minerals, making it a promising addition to poultry diets. In this study, 240 Hy-Line Brown laying hens (31 weeks old, average weight 1.90 ± 0.1 kg, egg laying 11 weeks) were randomly assigned to two dietary treatments for 12 weeks: one group received a regular diet, while the other was fed a diet containing 3% fish bone meal. Each treatment included 12 replicates with 10 hens per replicate, and all birds were maintained under identical environmental conditions using a completely randomized experimental design. The results showed that hens fed the fish bone meal diet produced more eggs (<i>p</i> < 0.05) and had heavier yolks (<i>p</i> < 0.05) compared to the control group. Furthermore, intestinal health indicators, including villus height and crypt depth, were significantly improved (<i>p</i> < 0.05), along with enhanced immune markers (<i>p</i> < 0.05) in the fish bone meal group. However, no significant differences were observed in other egg quality parameters or feed conversion efficiency between the two groups (<i>p</i> > 0.05). These findings demonstrate that fish bone meal can improve egg production, yolk quality, intestinal health, and immune function in laying hens. |
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| ISSN: | 2076-2615 |