Effect of supplementing sodium sulphate, choline and cow dung in mash on egg production of laying hens.

Growing pullets (n = 146, 12 weeks of age) divided into 14 groups of 10 or 11 birds in each, were raised upto 20 weeks of age on seven dietary treatments with 16% CP and 2500 kcal ME/kg diet. After 20 weeks of age, dietary CP (18% CP) and ME (2600 kcal/kg) contents (in layer mash) were elevated without altering treatment combinations. Treatment T) (control) contained fish meal (6% of diet). Fish meal was replaced completely in remaining dietary treatments (T2-T7) with soybean meal and mustard cake (2:1). Sodium sulphate (0.1%) was supplemented in dietary treatments (T3, T4, T6 and T7). Choline (0.05%) was supplemented in T4 and T7. Cow dung (sundried and ground) was added @5% in dietary treatments T5, T6 and T7. Egg production and weight during 22–32 weeks of age were recorded. Dietary treatments influenced sexual maturity and birds under T2 and T4 took more days to reach 50% hen-day production. Hen-day egg production was lower in all the treatments except T, containing cow dung, sodium sulphate and choline in comparison to control. Egg weights and feed intake did not differ in dietary treatments. Feed conversion ratio, performance efficiency index and net feed conversion efficiency emanated in control diet was comparable to T7. Results indicated that performance of laying hens could be improved by supplementing sundried cow dung (5%), sodium sulphate (0.1%) and choline (0.05%) together in soybean meal-mustard cake based all vegetable protein diet.