ABSTRACT

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of turmeric as an additive on egg quality characteristics and egg production performance of the indigenous hens. A total of sixty indigenous hens were used. The birds were divided into four treatments which was replicated into five birds per replicate. They were given growers commercial feed till twentytwo weeks of age after which they experimental diet was introduced with 0.25%, 0.50% and 0.75% ofturmeric as feed additive and the control with 0.00% turmeric. Feed and water were provided ad libitum after about four weeks ofintroduction ofthe experimental diet they birds being twenty-seven weeks old, data was collected. The eggs were picked for twice in a week then taken to the laboratory for analysis and for egg production eggs were picked daily but counted on a weekly bases. For Yolk weight T3 (0.50%) was significantly different (P<0.05) from week 28-30 and significantly higher than all the treatment in week 29-30 but similar to Ti (0.00%) from week 27-28. For Albumen weight T3 (0.50%) was significantly different (P<0.05) from week 27-30 and significantly higher than all the treatment in week 27-28 & 30 but similar to Ti (0.00%) from week 29. For Yolk index T4 (0.75%) was significantly different (P<0.05) from week 27-30 and significantly higher than all the treatment in week 27-28 but similar to T3 (0.50%) from week 28 & 30. For Haugh unit T] (0.00%) was significantly different (P<0.05) in week 27 but from week 28 T3 (0.50%) was significantly different (P<0.05) from week 28-30 and significantly higher than all the treatment. For egg weight Ti (0.00%) was significantly different (P<0.05) and higher in week 27 but from week 28 T3 (0.50%) was significantly different (P<0.05) from week 28-30 and significantly higher than all the treatment. Egg weight in the group fed diet with 0.5% Turmeric Powder was higher than that in the other groups. For shell weight T3 (0.50%) was significantly different (P<0.05) from'week 28-30 and significantly higher than all the treatment in week 29-30 but similar to Tj (0.00%) in week 27,0.50% ofturmeric increased the shell weight ofthe bird's from week 28-30. For shell thickness T3 (0.50%) was significantly different (P<0.05) from week 27-30 and significantly higher than all the treatment in week 27-30 but similar to T4 (0.75%) in week 30. For egg production performance was highest in T3 (0.50%) with a total of 310 eggs,next was T4 (0.75%) with total number of 218 eggs,next was 198 in T2 (0.25%) , T] (0.00%) had the lowest number of eggs with total of 169. Egg productions in the groups fed diets with Turmeric Powder were significantly higher than those of control (P<0.05). Egg production was the highest in the layers fed diet with 0.50% Turmeric Powder and the lowest in the layers fed the control. The low production performance of indigenous hens may be improved through improvement in husbandry practices, better healthcare, and supplementary feeds during lean season and most importantly through addition of turmeric in 0.50% and 0.75% for effective egg quality characteristics and egg production performance.