Effect of dietary supplementation of a phytogenic blend containing Schisandra chinensis, Pinus densiflora, and Allium tuberosum on productivity, egg quality, and health parameters in laying hens

This study was conducted to investigate the supplementary effect of a phytogenic blend (SPA: a mixture containing fermented Schisandra chinensis pomace, fermented Pinus densiflora needle extract, and Allium tuberosum powder in the ratio of 2:2:1) on egg production, egg quality, blood constituents, and visceral organs in laying hens. A total of 135 Hy-line brown laying hens (48-wk-old) were randomly allocated to three dietary treatments with 5 replicates of 9 hens. The control group (CON) was fed a basal diet (no exogenous SPA addition) and the experimental groups were fed the basal diet containing SPA at the level of 0.1% and 0.3% for 6 weeks. The feed intake was significantly improved in SPA supplemented groups as compared with the control (p0.05). For egg quality traits, only Haugh unit (HU) was significantly improved in SPA (0.3%) (p0.05). Furthermore, SPA supplementation did not affect the blood biochemical constituents except for the phosphate content, which was significantly higher in SPA groups than the CON group (p