New insights into the role of dietary marine-derived polysaccharides on productive performance, egg quality, antioxidant capacity, and jejunal morphology in late-phase laying hens

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary marine-derived polysaccharides (MDP) from seaweed Enteromorpha on productive performance, egg quality, antioxidant capacity, and jejunal morphology in late-phase laying hens. A total of 240 Lohmann white laying hens (62 wk of age) were assigned to 4 dietary treatments that included MDP at concentrations of 0, 1,000, 2,500, and 5,000 mg/kg for 6 wk. Each treatment had 6 replicates with 5 cages (2 birds/cage). The results showed that dietary MDP quadratically improved egg production (P 0.10). Taken together, these findings provided new insights into the role of MDP in improving the productive performance, egg quality, antioxidant capacity, and jejunal morphology of late-phase laying hens.