Effects of Sage (Salvia officinalis L.) Supplementation in Hen Diets on Laying Productivity, Egg Quality, and Biochemical Parameters

Abstract

An experiment was designed to examine the effect of sage leaves (Salvia officinalis. L.) use in hens’ diet on laying productivity, egg morphological and sensor properties, serum biochemistry, and egg chemical composition. A total of 90 hens from the Bulgarian synthetic population LB at the age of 40 weeks were randomly divided into three groups: S0 (without dried and milled leaves of S. officinalis L supplementation) and S25, and S50 experimental groups (diets supplemented with dried and milled leaves of S. officinalis L. at 0.25% and 0.50% respectively). The sage use in the daily dose of 0.50% led to a significant increase in hens’body weight (P <0.05); laying intensity (P <0.05); Haugh Units (P <0.01); albumen index (P <0.01) and egg yolk color (P <0.001). The addition of 0.25% S. officinalis significantly decreased the total cholesterol level in the blood serum (P <0.05) but significantly increased the content of protein (P <0.001); fat (P <0.05), and ash (P <0.01; P <0.05) in eggs. The supplementation of the tested product does not aggravate the eggs’ sensor properties.