The response of layers to dietary supplementation with activated charcoal

The study was conducted at the Animal Farm of the Teaching and Research Farm, The National University of Lesotho Roma to determine the effect of graded levels of activated charcoal in the diets of laying hens on performance response, internal and external egg qualities. A total of 120 Hyline white hens, 44-week-old with a mean body weight of 2060.70 g and egg production level of 88.92% were randomly allotted into five treatment groups, with three replicates per treatment and 8 hens per replicate. Hens were fed ad libitum on a basal diet supplemented with activated charcoal at five different levels of 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2% to give treatments T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5, respectively for 42 days. Data collected on nutrient composition profile of the activated charcoal supplemented diets, performance response, and external and internal egg qualities were subjected to the One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Supplementation of the basal diet of laying hens with 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2% activated charcoal produced significantly (p<0.05) increased dietary salt (NaCl) as the percentage of activated charcoal supplementation increased, but varied significant (p<0.05) sequence on CP, crude fat, ash, Ca and P. There was no significant (p>0.05) nutritional advantage of feeding activated charcoal to laying hens on the performance response, feed intake and final body weight. Activated charcoal supplementation significantly (p<0.05) improved egg weight, egg width and shell weight which are external egg indices at 2% level, and also significantly (p<0.05) improved some internal egg quality characteristics, yolk height, albumen weight and yolk colour at 2% level. The results of the study showed that activated charcoal supplementation of laying hens can be used at 2% level for enhancement of egg weight, egg width, shell weight, yolk height, albumen weight and yolk colour. Further research should be conducted to investigate the optimal supplementation level of activated charcoal which will not beadverse to the performance of hens and egg quality

National Manpower Development Secretariat