The study was conducted to determine the effect of graded levels of activated charcoal in the diets of laying hens on nutrient composition, performance response, internal and external egg qualities. A total of 120 Hyline hens, 44-week-old with mean body weight of 2060.70 g and egg production level of 88.92% were randomly allotted into five treatment groups, with three replicates per treatment and 8 hens per replicate. Hens were fed ad libitum on a basal diet supplemented with activated charcoal at 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2% levels to give treatments T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5, for 42 days. Supplementation of basal diet of laying hens with 0, 0.50, 1.00, 1.50 and 2.00% activated charcoal produced significant (P 0.05) There was no significant (P > 0.05) nutritional advantage of feeding activated charcoal as a dietary supplement to laying hens at up to 2% on their performance response. Activated charcoal supplementation significantly (P < 0.05) improved egg weight, egg width and shell weight (external egg indices) at 2% level, and also improved P < 0.05) yolk height, albumen weight and yolk colour (internal egg quality characteristics) at 2% level. The result of the study showed that supplementation of the basal diet of laying hens with activated charcoal can be used at 2% level for enhancement of egg weight, egg width, shell weight, yolk height, albumen weight and yolk colour.
Makhaleme et al. (Thu,) studied this question.