Effect of different levels of safflower meal on performanceof commercial laying Hen

An experiment was conducted under completely randomized design to determine the effects of different levels of safflower meal (SM), (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 percent) with five treatment and five replicates (10 birds each) of commercial layers. 250 Hy line commercial layers (W-36) at 27 weeks old were assigned to the experimental dies for 13 weeks. During experimental periods, Feed Intake, Feed efficiency, Egg production, egg mass, egg weight and egg shell thickness were recorded. As results were shown, mean egg productions were not affected by dietary treatments, only differences remain significant with T5, through out the experimental period. The highest and the lowest egg productions were owed to T1 and T5 (85.30 vs 70.80 %) respectively and differences were significant. It seems that, as increasing the levels of dietary safflower meal, it would have negative effects on egg productions because of bulky and poor quality of safflower meal. Feed intake was showing an increase trend towards increasing the level of safflower meal in the diet.The higher and lower daily feed intake was registered for T5 as compare to T1 (96.90 vs 94.10g) respectively and differences were significant. Feed intake in T2 was significantly better as compare to other experimental groups. Feed efficiency also showed significant differences by increasing the levels of SM. Eventhough significantly optimal and bad feed efficiency were observed respectively in T2 and T5 (2.07 vs 1.94). Egg mass and egg weight also remain significantly different by feeding different levels of safflower meal throughout the experimental period. As far as egg weight was concerned, heaviest egg was recorded in T5 as compare to T1 and other experimental groups (57.90 vs 56.60g). Egg shell thickness was affected by experimental diets, in which eggs produced in T1 (.0345mm) had more thickness as compare to other treatments.