Abstract
This study was conducted to investigate the effects of Pleurotus eryngii stalk residue (PESR) on performance, egg traits and oxidative status of laying hens. One hundred and twenty 22-week-old laying hens (Hendrix) were randomly allocated into 4 dietary groups, each containing 30 birds, including 10 replicates per group and 3 birds per replicate. In addition, they were fed diets supplemented with 0 (control group, corn-soybean meal), 0.5, 1.0, or 2.0% dried PESR groups for 8 weeks, respectively. The results indicated that the different levels of dietary supplementation produced no significant differences in production performance among the experimental groups of laying hens. The Haugh unit was significantly higher in the 1.0% and 2.0% PESR groups compared to the control group. The eggs’ cholesterol content of the 1.0% and 2.0% PESR groups was significantly lower than that of the control group at 5-8 weeks. The blood triglyceride content and cholesterol content were significantly lower in the 1.0% and 2.0% PESR groups compared to the control group at the 4th and 8th weeks. Hence, the supplemented 1.0% and 2.0% of PESR groups showed higher levels for serum trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity, catalase and superoxide dismutase during the experimental period in comparison with the control group. This study indicated that a by-product of Pleurotus eryngii, PESR, could produce lower-cholesterol eggs and improve the oxidative stability with 1.0% and 2.0% PESR supplementation in laying hens.