The current study aimed to investigate the effect of bee pollen (BP) supplementation of Sinai chicken hen diets on the egg production, egg quality traits, some hematological parameters. A total of 120 Sinai hens, 26 weeks old were randomly divided into 4 equal experimental groups (30 hens with 3 replicates, 10 hens each). In the 1st group (control), hens were fed on a basal diet without any treatment, while those in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th groups were fed on the same basal diet and supplemented with bee pollen (BP) at 500, 1000 and 1500 mg/kg diet throughout 12 successive weeks.
The obtained results indicated that:
The live body weight and total weight gain in the 3rd group (1000 mg bee pollen/ kg diet) was significantly (P≤0.05) improved as compared with the other groups. The means of laying rate and egg mass in 2nd group were significantly (P≤0.05) improved than that of the control group. The highest mean of feed consumption (FC) was recorded in the 2nd group, while the lowest one was obtained in the 4th group with significant differences. The feed conversation ratio for hens in the 3rd group was significantly decreased compared with those of control, 2nd and 4th groups. Egg weight, exterior and interior egg quality were not affected by BP supplementation.
The means of red blood cells (RBCs) and white blood cells (WBCs) were significantly increased in the treated groups, while the H/L ratio was significantly decreased as compared with control. Serum total cholesterol and triglycerides values were significantly (P≤0.05) decreased, while serum total protein, albumin, and globulin were not affected in the treated groups compared with those in the control group. From these findings could be concluded that, the supplementation of bee pollen at 500mg/kg of Sinai hen diets improved the production performance, some hematological and parameters during egg production period. It is worth to mention that the treating Sinai chicken hens with 500 mg BP/kg diet is more economical and cheaper compared with 1000 and 1500mg BP/kg diet.