article · Reproduction in Domestic Animals
A dietary trial evaluated the inclusion of flaxseeds, fenugreek seeds, or both as sources of phytoestrogens in feed given to 65-week-old laying hens. Supplementation at one gram per kilogram of feed, individually or combined, improved hen-day egg production, egg mass, and feed conversion ratios without altering overall feed intake. The additives also increased total egg weight alongside the individual weights of albumen, yolk, and shell, while enhancing shell thickness and yolk colour. Eggs laid by supplemented hens showed increased levels of crude fat, calcium, alpha-linolenic acid, and linoleic acid, coupled with a decrease in yolk cholesterol. In the birds' blood plasma, reproductive hormones, triglycerides, and antioxidant enzyme activities rose, whereas markers of oxidative stress and total cholesterol dropped. These results indicate that dietary phytoestrogens can sustain laying performance, reproductive hormone levels, and egg nutritional quality in ageing hens.
As laying hens grow older, their reproductive performance and eggshell quality naturally decline, which reduces farm efficiency. Identifying simple, natural feed additives like flaxseed and fenugreek seed can help maintain egg productivity and hen health in late-stage production cycles. Furthermore, producing eggs with reduced cholesterol and higher levels of essential fatty acids provides better nutritional value for consumers.
This research demonstrates an applied feeding intervention directly tested in laying hens. Animal feed manufacturers and commercial poultry egg producers could incorporate modest amounts of flaxseed and fenugreek seed into diets for ageing flocks to prolong productive lifespan and enhance egg nutritional quality. Because the intervention relies on standard agricultural ingredients at low dosage rates, it represents an applied and tested approach that could be piloted quickly in commercial settings.
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The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of flaxseeds and/or fenugreek seeds as a source of phytoestrogens in laying feed on productive performance, egg quality, yolk fatty acids, plasma profile and antioxidative status in aged laying hens. A total of 120 Bovans Brown hens at 65 weeks of age were housed individually in laying cages in an open-sided building under a 16-hr light: 8-hr dark lighting schedule. Hens were randomly divided into four experimental treatments (n = 30 each): (a) control (basal diet without any supplementation); (b) 1 g/kg of flaxseeds; (c) 1 g/kg of fenugreek seeds; and (d) combination of 1 g/kg flaxseeds and 1 g/kg fenugreek seeds from 65 to 71 weeks of age. Hen-day egg production and egg mass were significantly increased by dietary supplementation of flaxseeds and/or fenugreek seeds, while feed intake was not affected; thus, feed conversion ratio was improved (p < 0.05). Weights of egg, albumen, yolk and shell were increased by the dietary treatments. Shell thickness and yolk colour were improved by supplementation of flaxseeds and/or fenugreek seeds. Yolk crude protein was not significantly affected by treatments; however, crude fat and calcium contents in yolk were increased and egg yolk cholesterol content was decreased. Interestingly, dietary supplementation of flaxseeds, fenugreek seeds and their combination had a significant positive effect on plasma luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, oestradiol-17β and triglycerides. Inclusion of flaxseeds and/or fenugreek seeds in the diets enhanced the serum glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activities and reduced the malondialdehyde and total cholesterol concentrations in plasma. Dietary supplementation of flaxseeds and/or fenugreek seeds increased α-linolenic and linoleic acids in egg yolk. It could be concluded that inclusion of mixed sources of phytoestrogens in diets improved laying performance, egg quality, the antioxidative status, hormonal profile and steroidogenesis in aged laying hens.
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DOI: 10.1111/rda.13432
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