The use of Roselle flower powder compared to antioxidants [BHT] and its effect on the qualitative and biochemical characteristics of laying hens’ eggs

The study was conducted at the poultry field in the College of Agriculture / Kirkuk University from 1/10/2023 to 15/12/2023. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effects of using Roselle flower powder(Which is considered one of the natural antioxidants) compared to antioxidants [BHT] on the qualitative and biochemical characteristics of laying hens’ eggs ,This is to support healthy egg production according to the guidelines of the World Health Organization. A hundred twelve Lohmann birds were randomly assigned to 7 nutritional treatments with 4 replicates for each treatment [4 birds per replicate]. The birds had free access to the diet during the whole experiment, and it was based on the recommendations of the LOHMANN company. The treatments were assigned as follows: treatment 1 was the control treatment without any addition, treatment 2 contained 1 g of Roselle flower powder per kg diet, treatment 3 contained 1.5 g Roselle flower powder per kg diet, treatment 4 contained 2 g Roselle flower powder per kg diet, treatment 5 contained 1 g Roselle flower powder + BHT per kg diet, treatment 6 contained 1.5 g Roselle flower powder + BHT per kg diet, treatment 7 contained 2 g Roselle flower powder + BHT per kg diet. All of the BHT additions were based on the company standard recommendations. The result of treatment 3 showed a higher significant effect Albumin index and the Haugh unit [H.U.] compared to treatments 4, 5, 6, and 7. While there were no significant differences between the experimental treatments in relation to other studied traits.