EFFECT OF WOOD CHARCOAL AND VINEGAR MIXTURE SUPPLEMENTATION ON PRODUCTIVE AND REPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE AND INTESTINAL BACTERIAL COUNT FOR AGED LAYERS

The present study was conducted to investigate the influence of dietary supplementation wood charcoal and vinegar mixture on productive and reproductive performance, hatch traits and intestinal bacterial count for aged layers. A total number of 144 Gimmizah chickens (120 hens + 24 cocks) aged were individually weighed and randomly divided into four treatment groups. Each treatment group was represented by three replicates (10 hens + 2 cocks) and housed in 12 floor pens under open system conditions until the end of the experiment (64 weeks).  The birds of the first group were served as control  and the other groups were treated by 0∙5, 1∙ 0   and   1∙5 % of wood charcoal and vinegar mixture (CV) to be CV1, CV2 and CV3 groups, respectively. The obtained results represented enhancing in egg weight, egg mass and egg production % for all treated groups (CV1, CV2 and CV3) compared to control group. Also, the highest value of egg shell thickness was detected in CV3 group compared to the other groups. Dietary supplementation of CV had significant influence on total bacteria count of jejunum.  Eggs produced from hens of CV2 and CV3 groups had significant increase of hatchability for fertile egg percentage compared to those of CV1 and control group. Birds of the CV3 group had the highest values of the plasma Ca, P and Glucose compared to those of other groups. In conclusion, supplementing the diet of layer with 1∙5 % wood charcoal and vinegar mixture at late phase of production could be a promising tool for realizing the best improvement of egg production, egg shell thickness, hatchability% and jejunum bacterial count.