Effect of strontium ranelate and cerium oxide addition in the diet on egg production and eggshell quality in laying hen

Minerals are used widely as feed additives in the diets of poultry to enhance bone and egg quality and productivity. Therefore, the current study aimed to evaluate the impact of strontium ranelate and cerium oxide addition in the diet on egg production and eggshell quality in laying hens. In this experiment, a total of 240 laying hens at the age of 44 weeks old, were divided into six treatments, with four replicates per treatment (10 hens per replicate). The hens were fed a standard diet for five weeks as an introductory period of preparation. The design of the dietary treatments was formulated as: control (T1) basal diet, Strontium ranelate (SrR) 400 and 800 mg/kg in basal diet (T2 and T3), Cerium oxide (CeO) 250 and 500 mg/kg in basal diet (T4 and T5) and their combination 400 mg/kg of Strontium ranelate + 250 mg/kg of Cerium oxide (T6) in the basal diet. Laying hen's performance and, egg quality (eggshell strength, eggshell thickness, eggshell percentage, minerals in eggshell, yolk index and Haugh unit), were analyzed. The results showed that the addition of SrR and CeO did not affect performance, yolk index, Haugh unit, ratio of Ca, P, and Ce in the eggshell. However, supplementing 800 mg/kg SrR significantly increased eggshell strength, thickness, percentage, Sr in the eggshell compared to the control, while supplementing 250 or 500 mg/kg CeO significantly increased eggshell strength and thickness. The combination of SrR and CeO significantly increased eggshell strength compared to the control group. In conclusion, supplementing SrR (800 mg/kg) and CeO significantly improved the quality of the eggshell.