<b>Performance and egg quality of laying hens fed with sorghum and paprika based diets to replace the corn</b> - DOI: 10.4025/actascianimsci.v29i2.220

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effect of the substitution of the corn for sorghum, with or without supplementation of paprika, as natural pigment, in the diets of laying hens. The experiment was conducted with 160 Hy- Line W36 layer hens (47 weeks of age), kept in cages of 25 cm, distributed in a completely randomized design, with eight birds and four replications. The control diet was on a corn and soybean meal base and the other diets had 50 or 100% of substitution of corn by sorghum, low tannin. The paprika, when supplemented, was added in 500 g ^t-1 or 1,000 g ^t-1. to the ration of low or high sorghum levels, respectively. The substitution of the corn by sorghum did not affect the performance of laying hens, but decreased the yolk pigmentation. When the natural pigment was added, in both dosages, the yolk pigmentation was higher than that obtained from the control diet, but the level of 1,000 g ^t-1. reduced the performance of layers.