Enriching Activated Charcoal With Aged Palm Sap Improves Laying Hen Performance, Egg Quality, and Reproductive
Albert Uzochukwu Chinenye Ohanaka1, Judith Nkechinyere Ohanaka2, Ifeanyi Princewill Ogbuewu1
1Department of Animal Science and Technology, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nigeria.
Abstract:
This study evaluated the effects of activated charcoal (AC) and aged palm sap-enriched AC (AC + APS) on laying performance, egg quality, reproductive physiology, hematology, and serum biochemistry of laying hens alongside physicochemical characterization of the additives. Two hundred and forty Isa Brown hens were assigned to five dietary treatments: control, 0.5% AC, 1.0% AC, 0.5% AC + APS, and 1.0% AC + APS during a 12-week feeding trial. High-performance liquid chromatography identified glucose, fructose, lactic, pyruvic, and acetic acids as major APS metabolites, while Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed APS-mediated surface modification of AC through the emergence and intensification of oxygenated functional groups. Dietary supplementation significantly improved hen-day egg production, egg mass, feed conversion ratio, eggshell thickness, ovarian development, follicular recruitment, and progesterone concentration (p < 0.05). AC + APS-fed hens exhibited greater ovarian and follicular weights and more large yellow follicles than AC-only groups, indicating enhanced folliculogenesis. While increasing AC inclusion from 0.5% to 1.0% improved several productive indices, comparable responses between 0.5% and 1.0% AC + APS suggested enhanced biological efficiency following APS functionalization. Hematological and biochemical responses further supported enhanced metabolic adaptation and reproductive allocation. Overall, APS enrichment transformed AC into a multifunctional bioactive feed additive for sustainable laying hen production and biomass valorization.
