USING ARTEMIA EGGS IN DIETS FOR LAYING CHICKENS

Abstract

Results are given from investigations on including Artemia eggs in different dosages in diets for laying chickens of the parent flock of Highsex Brown cross. The investigations were carried out in Altai Territory. Three groups of 150-day-old chickens were formed. The first group was control, and received the basal diet; the diets for the second and third trial groups contained 2 and 4% of Artemia eggs, respectively. The source of feed supplement was eggs of brine shrimp Artemia salina collected in Bolshoe Yarovoe Lake, Altai Territory. The recording period lasted 270 days from the beginning of egg laying. During the experiment, the gross egg yield in the laying chickens of the second trial group (their diet contained 2 per cent of Artemia eggs) was greater by 5.83% as compared to that of the control. The laying chickens of the third group that had 4% of Artemia egg in their diet increased the egg production by 8.97% as compared to the control. By the end of the experiments (420 days), the carotenoid concentrations in egg yolk in the chickens of the second and third trial groups were 3.75 and 5.20 times as high as that of the control, respectively. The addition of 4% of Artemia eggs increased egg fertilization rate by 5.79%, hatchability by 2.30%, and hatching rate by 6.8%. The livability of chickens in the trial groups was 100%, which was 10% higher than that in the control. The economic benefit per one head in the second and third trial groups made up 1400.5 and 1825.3 rubles, respectively.