• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.183-189
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• 2003

This study was carried out to evaluate effect of dietary green tea by-products (GTB) on laying performance and quality of eggs in hens. A total of 96 laying hens (22-week-old) "Tetran Brown" were allotted to four dietary treatments, which containing 0, 2, 4 and 6% green tea-by products. The results showed that the egg production increased (P＜0.05) in layers fed diets containing 4% or 6% green tea-by products compared to the layers fed control no GTB. Egg weight and egg mass in layers fed diets containing 2% green tea by-products significantly decreased compared to those in the other groups (P<0.05). The feed intake was lower in layers fed diets containing 2% and 6% green tea by-products. The feed conversion ratio was lower (P<0.05) in layers fed diets containing 4% or 6% green tea by-product supplementation respectively. The egg shell thickness was no significantly different between layers fed the control and green tea by-product diets (P>0.05). The egg yolk cholesterol tended to decrease when layers fed diets containing green tea by-products, although the differences were not significant (P＞0.05). The linolenic and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acid contents in egg yolk significantly increased in layers fed diets containing different levels green tea by-products compared to those fed control diet (P<0.05). These results suggest that inclusion of green tea by-products in layer diets is suitable for hens without negative effects on egg composition.