EFFECT OF SUPPLEMENTATION OF LAYERS' DIET WITH MIXTURES OF DIFFERENT PEPPER SPECIES ON EGG QUALITY

Eighty-eight point of lay birds in 11 dietary groups were used to evaluate the effect of supplementation of commercial layer's mash(CLM) with various combinations of Capsicum annum 'atarodo' -RD) and C. frutescens (shombo-SH) at two levels on internal and external qualities of eggs. A feeding trial lasting 56 days was carried out at the end of which 88 intact newly laid eggs, 8 per treatment, were collected over 4 days and the physical characteristics determined. There was no advantage (P> 0.05) of supplemented diets over the solely commercial diet on mean egg weight (g), maximal equatorial diameter (cm) , surface area ( cm2), shell weight (g), albumen weight (g), albumen index, Haugh unit and yolk weight (g). With the exception of diet 3 in which 0.25% of the CLM was supplemented with 60% RD + 40%SH, all other supplemented diets had significantly higher yolk colour rating than the control diet. Eggs laid by birds that were fed diet 6, 0.5% 50%RD + 5 0 % SH, had significantly higher percent yolk and yolk colour than those from birds that were fed the control and some supplemented diet combination. The physical characteristics of the eggs that were laid by birds on diet 6 were also comparable with that of those in other experimental diets, with or without supplementation.