Effects of broussonetia papyrifera-fermented feed on production performance, egg quality, and caecal microbiota of laying hens during the late laying period

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the effects of different proportions of Broussonetia papyrifera (BP)-fermented feed in the diet to replace part of soybean meal on the production performance, egg quality and caecal microbiota of laying hens in the late laying period. In the experiment, 360 Hy-line brown laying hens (67-week-old) were randomly divided into 4 groups with 6 replicates in each group and 15 chickens in each replicate. The control group was fed with basic diets, and EG1, EG2 and EG3 groups were used in 1.5%, 3% and 4.5% BP-fermented feed to replace corn and soybean meal in the basic diet, respectively. The pre-feeding period was 7 days, and the experiment period was 56 days. In terms of production performance, the average daily egg production in the EG3 decreased significantly compared with that in the control group (p