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7925011 
Journal Article 
Effects of star anise (Illicium verum Hook. f.), salvia miltiorrhiza (Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge) and ginger root (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) on laying performance, antioxidant status and egg quality of laying hens 
Yang, CW; Ding, X; Zhao, X; Guo, YX; Mu, AL; Yang, ZB 
2017 
Verlag Eugen Ulmer 
81 
English 
WOS:000400518300001 
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of dried star anise (Illicium verum Hook. f.; SA), salvia miltiorrhiza (Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge; SM) and ginger root (Zingiber officinale Roscoe, ginger) which were processed to particle sizes of 300 μm on laying performance, egg quality and antioxidant status of laying hens. A total of 675 Hy-Line brown laying hens at 40 weeks of age were randomly allocated into 5 treatments (TRT) with 5 replicates in a complete randomised design. The 5 TRT were: 1) Control, laying hens were fed maize-soybean meal diets; 2) TRT 1 + 0.150 g/kg BHT = butylated hydroxytoluene; 3) TRT 1 + 5 g/kg SA; 4) TRT 1 + 10 g/kg SM; 5) TRT 1 + 10 g/kg ginger. All laying hens had similar average daily feed intake, average egg weight, egg shape index and egg yolk. However, as compared with those of the control treatment, laying hens supplemented with SA, SM and ginger had an improved (P<0.05) laying rate, egg mass and Haugh units and increased (P<0.05) activity of superoxide dismutase and total antioxidant capacity, but reduced (P<0.05) malondialdehyde content in serum. Laying hens supplemented with SA and ginger had increased (P<0.05) eggshell thickness, and supplementation of ginger improved (P<0.05) egg yolk colour compared with control birds. Laying hens supplemented with BHT had higher (P<0.05) laying rate, egg mass, Haugh units and SOD activity, and lower (P<0.05) MDA content than those in the control group. Dietary supplementation of SA, SM and ginger could improve laying performance, serum antioxidant status and egg quality. © Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart. 
Laying hen; nutrition; star anise; salvia miltiorrhiza; ginger; laying performance; antioxidant status; egg quality