The effect of using lycopene compared to BHT as antioxidants on the productive performance of laying hens lohmann brown

The experiment was conducted on 112 Lohmann Brown birds in the poultry fields/College of Agriculture/University of Kirkuk, for a period of 70 field days for the period from 10/2/2023 to 11/28/2023, which included 14 days as an introductory period. The birds were distributed according to (7) treatments. And (4) replicates and (4) birds for the replicate, as follows: - T1: Add BHT according to the company’s standard recommendations, 250 mg/kg feed, T2: Add lycopene powder at a rate of 1 gm/kg feed, T3: Add lycopene powder at a rate of 1.5 gm/kg Feed, T4: Add lycopene powder at a rate of 2 g/kg feed, T5: Add lycopene powder at a rate of 1 g/kg feed + add BHT 250 mg/kg feed, T6: Add lycopene powder at a rate of 1.5 g/kg feed + add BHT 250 mg /kg feed, T7 add lycopene powder at a rate of 2g /kg feed + add BHT 250 mg /kg feed. The results obtained from the experiment were: : At a significant level (P≤0.05) with regard to the rate of productive traits, the seventh treatment recorded the highest egg production rate (90.25%), with all addition treatments outperforming the control treatment, which recorded the lowest measured percentages (77.22%), and the highest egg mass rate in the fourth treatment, which It was recorded (57.37) grams, with all treatments exceeding the control treatment (48.60) grams, and the best food conversion factor was in the fourth treatment (2.01). All treatments also exceeded the control treatment, whose conversion factor reached (2.36).