PERFORMANCE AND EGG QUALITY RESPONSES OF LAYERS FED LOCAL VERSUS IMPORTED CONCENTRATES

A total of 27 White Hisex layer hens (24 weeks old) were used in this study. They were purchased from a company specializing in the production of laying hens. The birds were randomly divided into three treatment groups (A, B, and C), with each group further subdivided into three replicates of three birds each. Group A was fed a diet containing 5% local concentrate, Group B received 7.5% local concentrate, while Group C (control) was fed a diet with 5% imported concentrate. The inclusion of local concentrate at both levels significantly improved egg production and quality parameters compared to the control group. The results revealed that replacing imported concentrate with local concentrate had a significant effect on egg production, egg mass, and egg number, but not on egg weight. Regarding egg quality characteristics, no significant differences were observed in shape index, egg diameter, Haugh unit, shell weight, yolk weight, or albumen weight—except for egg height and yolk color, which showed significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) among treatment groups. Economic evaluation indicated that replacing imported concentrate with local concentrate at both levels was more cost-effective than the control. The 7.5% local concentrate level proved to be the most economically beneficial. Based on the findings, locally formulated concentrate can be considered a viable alternative to imported concentrate in layer diets, without adverse effects on performance or egg quality.