Influence of Dietary Addition of Mineral Shungite and Fucus vesiculosus on Production Performance, Egg Quality, Nutrients Digestibility, and Immunity Status of Laying Hens

Nikolai P Buryakov; Anastasiya S Zaikina; Vladimir I Trukhachev; Maria A Buryakova; Valentina G Kosolapova; Ilia N Nikonov; Ivan K Medvedev; Mohamed M Fathala; Dmitrii E Aleshin

doi:10.3390/ani13203176

Influence of Dietary Addition of Mineral Shungite and Fucus vesiculosus on Production Performance, Egg Quality, Nutrients Digestibility, and Immunity Status of Laying Hens

Animals (Basel). 2023 Oct 11;13(20):3176. doi: 10.3390/ani13203176.

Affiliations

¹ Department of Feeding Animals, Institute of Animal Science and Biology, Russian State Agrarian University-Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy, 127434 Moscow, Russia.
² Department of Physiology, Ethology and Biochemistry of Animals, Institute of Animal Science and Biology, Russian State Agrarian University-Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy, 127434 Moscow, Russia.
³ Department of Animal Hygiene and Poultry Breeding Named after A.K. Danilova, Faculty of Animal Technologies and Agribusiness, Moscow State Academy of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnology-MVA Named after K.I. Skryabin, 109472 Moscow, Russia.
⁴ Animal Husbandry and Wealth Development Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria 5424041, Egypt.

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to assess the impact of using the thermally modified mineral adsorbent shungite (MAS) and the dried seaweed meal Fucus vesiculosus (DSM) with different doses in Brown Nick cross laying hens' diet on their productivity, nutrient digestibility, morphological and blood profile, immunity status, and egg quality. A total of 261,720 hens were used in this experiment at the age of 63 weeks, and they were randomly divided into 5 groups (feeding program) with six repetitions of 8724 chickens in each. The first served (control) as a control group where laying hens were fed the basal diet that was used on the farm only; the second and the third groups represented MAS+ and MAS++, where they received the basal diet supplemented by 0.1% and 0.25% (or 1.0 kg/t and 2.5 kg/t of feed) of the mineral adsorbent shungite (MAS) which was provided in the feed in powder form (5 microns) and was added to the feed at the feed mill; the fourth and fifth groups represented DSM+ and DSM++, which received the basal diet provided with 0.1% and 0.25% (or 1.0 kg/t and 2.5 kg/t of feed) of dried seaweed meal of F. vesiculosus algae (DSM). The average egg weight over the entire period of the experiment revealed significant differences between the experimental groups and represented in the control group 65.20 vs. 66.88, 66.87 and 68.10 and 68.13 g in the MAS+ and MAS++, and DSM+ and DSM++ groups, respectively. Once the dried seaweed meal F. vesiculosus (DSM) was used, the crude protein increased significantly (p < 0.05) in egg yolk by 2.64 and 2.67%, carotenoids by 1.13 and 1.20 mg/g DM. The inclusion of both MAS and DSM feed additives revealed a significant decrease in the level of crude fat (lipids) in their liver when compared with the control group. The level of erythrocytes (RBCs) increased (p < 0.05) in the MAS+ and MAS++ and DSM+ and DSM++ groups when compared to the control group. Similarly, a significant increase was noted in hemoglobin when DSM was supplemented when compared to the control one. Moreover, the number of heterophils increased (p < 0.05) in groups of MAS and DSM when compared to the control group. The percentage of phagocytic activity increased significantly by 5.39, 6.90, and 7.18% in MAS++, DSM+, and DSM++, respectively, relative to the control group. On the other hand, the phagocytic number decreased (p < 0.05) by 1.15 and 1.12 conditional units in MAS+ and MAS++ and by 1.03 and 0.83 conditional units in DSM+ and DSM++ when compared to the control group, respectively. Consequently, the inclusion of thermally modified mineral adsorbent shungite and the dried seaweed meal F. vesiculosus with different doses in Brown Nick cross laying hen diets improves the egg weight and egg quality, crude protein, carotenoids and vitamin A in the egg mass, the utilization of lysine and methionine nutrients, hemoglobin content, immunity status, while decreases the incidence of fatty liver occurrence.

Keywords: blood profile; dried seaweed meal; egg quality; immunity status; mineral shungite; nutrient utilization; productivity indicators.

Grants and funding

This research was supported by the Russian State Agrarian University—Timiryazev Moscow Agricultural Academy as part of the implementation of the special part of the Priority 2030 grant—Grant Agreement No. 075-15-2021-1196 with the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation. This research was supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation as part of the implementation of a special part of the grant of the Strategic Academic Leadership Program “Priority 2030” for the development of the Russian State Agrarian University—the Timiryazev Moscow Agricultural Academy (Agreement No. 075-15-2023-220 dated 16 February 2023).