Influence of Different Sources of Natural Pigmenting on Egg Quality and Performance of Laying Hens

This experiment was conducted to evaluate effects of different sources of natural pigments on egg quality characteristics and laying hens performance. A completely randomized design, with six treatments and six replicate was used. Experimental treatments were control diet containing yellow corn grains, reference diet containing wheat and barley grain instead of corn, red pepper composed of reference diet and 2% red pepper, dried carrot meal containing reference diet and 5% dried carrot meal, dried tomato pulp composed of reference diet and 5% dried tomato pulp and alfalfa meal containing reference diet and 5% alfalfa meal. Results indicated that egg production and egg quality characteristics (except egg yolk color) were not affected by treatments. In conclusion, in case producers are not interested in an optimum grade of egg yolk color and performance is not under consideration, using of 5% alfalfa meal in wheat-barley based diets is suggested.