Effects of Dietary Phytosterol Supplementation on the Productive Performance, Egg Quality, Length of Small Intestine, and Tibia Quality in Aged Laying Hens

SIMPLE SUMMARY: A dramatic decline in productive performance and eggshell quality is a common problem for aged laying hens. In recent years, various natural products and medicinal plants have been widely used as alternative nutritional strategies to solve this problem. Phytosterols as natural active ingredients are found in cereal. It is well known that phytosterols have a variety of pharmacological functions. However, the effect of dietary phytosterols on egg quality has been scarcely studied. In the present research, we studied the effects of different concentrations of phytosterols on the productive performance, egg quality, small intestine, and tibia of aged laying hens. The results demonstrated that the supplementation of phytosterols in the diet for aged laying hens improved egg quality, which may be caused by the increase in length of the small intestine. ABSTRACT: This study aimed at investigating the effects of phytosterols on the productive performance, egg quality, length of small intestine, and tibia quality in aged laying hens. A total of 960 Dawu Jinfeng commercial laying hens (75 weeks of age) were randomly assigned to three groups. Each group had 16 replicates and every replicate contained four cages (five birds/cage). The control group hens received the basal diet without phytosterols. The hens in the experimental groups received a diet containing phytosterols at concentrations of 20 mg/kg and 40 mg/kg for 7 weeks. The results showed that phytosterols had a linearly increasing effect on egg weight, eggshell surface area, albumen height, and haugh unit at week 5 of experiment (p < 0.05). Supplemental phytosterols linearly and quadratically increased eggshell thickness (p < 0.05). At week 7 of the experiment, dietary supplementation of phytosterols linearly increased egg weight and eggshell weight (p < 0.05). Supplementation of 20 mg/kg, but not 40 mg/kg, phytosterols increased the length of the small intestine. However, dietary phytosterols had no effect on the laying rate, mortality, or liver index (p > 0.1). The results of tibia quality detected by micro-CT also showed no difference in the treatment of phytosterols. Therefore, supplementation with 20 mg/kg phytosterols in the diet improves egg quality and increases the length of small intestine, but has no effects on the quality of the tibia.