Effects of Bacteriocin-Like substance on performances and egg Quality of laying hens

Feed supplements had been widely studied for improvement of egg quality. The effects of Bacteriocin-Like Substance (BLS), an antimicrobial peptide produced by a new Bacillus licheniformis strain, on performances and egg quality of laying hens were evaluated here. About 150 Hy-Line Brown laying hens which were 32 weeks old were randomly divided into to five groups with 5 replicates (6 birds per replicate). Four groups were fed different concentrations of bacteriocin-like substances (500, 1500, 2500 and 3500 AU kg(-1) basic dietary, respectively) whereas the group fed basic diet was served as control. After experiment, groups fed BLS had a higher egg production without significance comparing to control. There were also no significant differences between control and trial groups, in terms of feed to egg ratio, egg weight, egg shell thickness, egg shell strength, egg shape index and Haugh unit. However, groups supplemented with BLS exhibited significant higher yolk color (p < 0.01) and lower ratio of blood spots eggs.