J. Agric. Environ. Sci. Vol. 7 No. 2 (2022) ISSN: 2616-3721 (Online); 2616-3713 (Print)
Publication of College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Bahir Dar University 38
Effect of Jatropha curcas seed meal inclusions in the diet of Lohmann Brown Layers on
egg production and its quality
Kefyalew Berihun
1
*, Tegene Negesse
1
, Adugna Tolera
1
School of Animal and Range Sciences, Hawassa University, P.O. Box 05, Hawassa, Ethiopia
*Corresponding author: kefyalewbr@gmail.com
Received: September 9, 2022 Accepted: December 11, 2022
Abstract: Most of the protein source feedstuffs for poultry like soybean and soybean meal are expensive. Thus
alternative and cheaper non-conventional feedstuffs should be assessed in order to broaden sources of
ingredients. Jatropha curcas seed meal is one of the non-conventional feed ingredients that can be used for
poultry feed. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to investigate the effect of dietary inclusion of treated
and untreated Jatropha seed meal on feed intake, feed conversion ratio, egg production and egg quality traits.
A feeding trial was carried out for eight weeks at Hawassa University, with 250 Lohmann Brown commercial
layers (42 weeks old). Chicken were allotted to five treatment diets replicated five times with 10 hens per
replication in a completely randomized design. The control treatment (T1) represents the standard poultry feed
that contained 42% white maize, 15% wheat bran, 7% noug cake, 25% soybean, 4% bone and meat meal, 4%
limestone, 2.5% Premix and 0.5% salt. In the treatments T2 to T5, 5% of soybean seed in T1 was replaced by
1.25% untreated and treated Jatropha seed meal where T2, T3, T4 and T5 contained untreated, heat-treated,
NaOH-treated and T5 yeast treated Jatropha seed meal, respectively. There were significant variations in daily
feed intake, food conversion rate, hen-day egg production, hen-housed egg production and mortality among
treatment groups. Chicken receiving T2 had reduced daily feed intake compared to hens that were fed on all
other diets (p<0.05). Chickens reared under T1 had lower values of food conversion rate and mortality than
chickens kept on all other diets (p<0.05). There was no significant differences among all treatment groups in
egg shape index, egg weight and shell thickness. Substituting 5% soybean with untreated jatropha seed meal
influences most of the tested parameters in the present study. On the other hand, the replacement of 5% quantity
of soybean with treated jatropha seed meal had no effects on hen-daily egg production, hen-house egg
production, Egg shape index, Egg weight, Shell thickness, Albumin height, Yolk height, Yolk weight and Haugh
Unit compared to the standard poultry diet (T1). Accordingly, 1.25% heat, NaOH and yeast-treated jatropha
seed meal could be used to replace 5% of the soybean seed in the Lohmann Brown layers diet.
Keywords: Dietary feed intake, Egg production, Egg quality, Jatropha seed meal
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
1. Introduction
Feed ingredients used in poultry production in
Ethiopia are cereal grains, protein-rich oil seed
cake (meal) and meat & bone meal. Most of the
protein source feedstuffs like soybean and soybean
meal are expensive. Thus, alternative and cheaper
feedstuffs should be assessed in order to broaden
sources of ingredients for the poultry feed industry
(Annongu et al., 2010). Jatropha curcas seed meal
is one of the non-conventional feed ingredients that
may have the potential for both nutritional and
medicinal uses (Goel et al., 2007).
Jatropha curcas, commonly known as physic nut,
belongs to the euphorbiaceous family and is
cultivated primarily for bio-fuel production (Barros
et al., 2015). It grows quickly and survives in poor
stony soil, is resistant to drought and disease, and
can be grown on marginal agricultural land where
no irrigation facility is available. Jatropha curcas
seed meal is produced after the shells have been
removed and has high nutritive value. The protein
content of detoxified jatropha kernel meal 665g/kg
was better than soybean meal 471g/kg and has a
great potential to complement and substitute
soybean meal as a protein source in livestock diets
as it was reported by (Kumar et al., 2010).
However, Jatropha seed meal contains anti-
nutritive compounds, such as lectin, trypsin
inhibitor (anti-trypsin), saponin, phytate, and
phorbol esters (Makkar and Becker, 1998). Of all
J. Agric. Environ. Sci. Vol. 7 No. 2 (2022) ISSN: 2616-3721 (Online); 2616-3713 (Print)
Publication of College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Bahir Dar University 39
the compounds, phorbol ester is considered as the
most toxic compound. Anti-nutritional factors are
harmful to humans and animals and limit the
nutrient availability. Therefore, inactivation of such
ingredients may be necessary to avoid damages.
The removal of phorbol esters would transform the
Jatropha meal into a highly nutritious and high-
value feed ingredient for monogastric, fish, and
ruminants (Hass and Mittelbach, 2000). According
to Martinez-Herrera et al. (2006) the meal could be
detoxified and the residual protein-rich seed cake
or meal, remaining after extraction of the oil, could
form a protein-rich ingredient in feeds for poultry,
pigs, cattle and even fish.
The nutrient compositions of ingredients in the
ration of poultry affect the egg production
performances and internal and external egg
qualities. When nutrients are in excess and
deficient in the ratio it affects and interferes with
the absorption of other nutrients and causes
deficiency disease. Calcium deficiency will lead
to a weaker eggshell with a decrease in eggshell
weight and eggshell strength (Bar et al., 2002).
Eggs are one of the most important sources of
animal proteins. Eggs are used in various food
industries to produce different products, cosmetics
and vaccines (Oluyemi and Roberts, 2007).
As egg is used for various purposes including for
consumption in human diets quality means
different for many people. Egg quality is a general
term that refers to several standards, which define
both internal and external qualities. Kramer (1951)
defined quality as “the sum of characteristics of a
given food item which influence the acceptability
or preference for that food by the consumer”.
Evaluation of the internal and external qualities of
a chicken egg is an important index in commercial
egg production (Parmer et al., 2006).
Consumers are concerned about its quality,
especially the yolk color. The quality of egg could
be affected by many factors such as dietary
nutrients, environmental factors, and diseases.
Dietary nutrients like vitamin A and minerals
influence both internal and external egg quality.
Earlier work shows that jatropha seed meal treated
with 4% sodium hydroxide and heat achieved the
best-reduced percentage of phytic acid and there
was no reduction in body weight gain in
comparison to the control groups of rats (Nabil et
al., 2011). The heat treatment in combination with
the chemical treatment of sodium hydroxide and
sodium hypochlorite has also been reported to
decrease the phorbol ester level in Jatropha seed
meal to 75% (Goel et al., 2007).
However, there is little information regarding the
effect of feeding jatropha seed meal on egg
production performance and egg quality traits in
layer hens in Ethiopia. Therefore, the aim of this
research was to investigate the effect of Jatropha
seed meal on egg production performance and
internal and external egg quality of the Lohmann
Brown chicken breed.
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Description of the study area
The study was carried out at the poultry farm of the
School of Animal and Range Sciences, Hawassa
University, Hawassa, Ethiopia, which lies between
7° 5′ N latitude and 38°29′ E longitude. Hawassa
lies at an altitude of 1650 m above sea level having
an average rainfall ranging from 700 mm to 1200
mm. The mean minimum and maximum
temperatures in the area are 13.5 °C and 27.6 °C,
respectively (NMA, 2013).
2.2. Feeding trial
2.2.1. Experimental treatments
and design
The diet was prepared out of white maize, wheat
bran, soybean (roasted), noug cake (Guizotia
abyssinica) meal, bone & meat meal, and from
untreated, physically treated, chemically treated
and biologically (Baker’s yeast) treated jatropha
seed meal (JSM), limestone, salt, and
vitamin/mineral premixes.
Five treatments, which contain different feed
mixes, were used in the present study (Table 1).
The first feed mix (T1 = control) was the standard
diet in the poultry farm of the School of Animal
and Range Sciences at Hawassa University In the
second, third, fourth and fifth diets 5% of soybean
in the treatment one (T1) was replaced by 1.25% of
untreated, heat treated, sodium hydroxide treated
and Baker’s yeast treated (24 hours fermented)
JSM. The treatments were replicated five times
and ten hens were randomly assigned to each
treatment in a completely randomized design. The
diets used in the present experiment were prepared
at Hawassa University, College of Agriculture feed
processing unit and formulated using FeedWin
J. Agric. Environ. Sci. Vol. 7 No. 2 (2022) ISSN: 2616-3721 (Online); 2616-3713 (Print)
Publication of College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Bahir Dar University 40
InterActive vo. 24 computer software packages
from Holland.
2.2.2. Experimental animals and feeding
management
The experiment was conducted for eight weeks
using 250 hens from Lohmann brown commercial
layers, which were purchased from Debre Zeit
Alema poultry farm (Ethiopia). The hens were
reared in a deep-litter house system for eight
months by feeding them with the standard feed
(T1) in Hawassa University College’s poultry farm.
The pullets were fed commercial grower diets in
the company before they were brought to the
university farm. After the 8
th
month
of age (three
months after they started laying eggs) the chicken
was shifted to the experimental pens. They were
allotted into five treatment diets, in which 5% of
soybean in the control diet was replaced by 1.25%
untreated, heat, NaOH and yeast (Baker’s yeast)
treated jatropha seed meal in treatments 2, 3, 4, and
5, respectively (Table 1). Chicken were fed ad-
libtum daily at a refusal rate of not less than 10%.
Feed was offered twice a day at 8:00 AM and 4:00
PM. The refusal was collected daily in the morning
before the feed was offered. Feed offered and
refusals were recorded daily.
Table 1: Proportion of the experimental diets used in the study
Ingredients (%)
Treatment diets
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
White maize
42
42
42
42
42
Wheat bran
15
15
15
15
15
Noug cake
7
7
7
7
7
Soy bean (roasted)
25
23.75
23.75
23.75
23.75
Bone & meat meal
4
4
4
4
4
JSM
------
1.25
1.25
1.25
1.25
Limestone
4
4
4
4
4
*Premix
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
Salt
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
100
100
100
100
100
Calculated nutritional composition
Crude protein
18.7
18.75
18.7
18.6
18.7
Crude fiber
5.22
5.45
5.5
5.56
5.57
Crude fat
7.97
7.86
7.85
7.76
7.85
ME(kcal/kg DM)
3202.6
3177.94
3173.53
3164.63
3166.12
Calcium
2.37
2.37
2.37
2.37
2.37
Available phosphorous
0.64
0.64
0.64
0.64
0.64
DM= Dry matter, ME= metabolizable energy, T1 = control (42% white maize + 15% wheat bran + 7% noug
cake + 25% soybean + 4% bone and meat meal + 4% limestone +2.5% Premix+ 0.5% salt), 5% of soybean seed
in T1 was replaced by 1.25% untreated (T2), heat treated (T3), NaOH treated (T4) and yeast treated (T5)
Jatropha seed meal
2.3. Data on feed consumption
The chicken feed consumption and feed conversion
ratio was computed. Feed intake was determined
by subtracting the weight of feed refused from that
of feed offered for each replication and the average
was taken for the group. The feed conversion ratio
was determined as the ratio of the amount of feed
consumed per kg of an egg. Mortality was
recorded as it occurred. Chickens were offered tap
water free of choice and water was changed daily.
Chickens were reared in deep litter pens placed in
ventilated and aerated rooms. A laying box was
provided in each replication in which one box was
for seven layers.
2.4. Egg production performance
Eggs were collected daily at 1400 h and 1600 h.
Broken eggs were recorded in each replication. The
cumulative average egg production percentage was
calculated every week for eight weeks of
J. Agric. Environ. Sci. Vol. 7 No. 2 (2022) ISSN: 2616-3721 (Online); 2616-3713 (Print)
Publication of College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Bahir Dar University 41
production starting from the 21
th
week of
production until the 28
th
week’s production period
(42 weeks to 49 weeks of age).
The laying percentage of the hens was estimated as
hen-day egg production (HDEP) and hen-housed
egg production (HHEP) using the formulas below
as indicated by North (1984.
[1]
[2]
[3]
2.5. Egg quality
2.5.1. External quality
External quality traits were evaluated at the end of
every week for eight weeks from the 21
st
week
of
production to the 28
th
week’s production period. A
total of 50 eggs two from each replication were
randomly selected at each evaluation period. Egg
weight, Egg mass (number of eggs times average
egg weight), egg shape, and eggshell were assessed
to look into the external quality of the five
treatment groups. Eggs were marked using a pencil
and weighed using a battery-operated electronic
digital balance. The average egg weight was
considered from the replications.
Egg shape index: The shape index was expressed
as the ratio of the width to the length of the egg.
The length (mm) and width (breadth) (mm) of each
egg were measured using a digital caliper meter
and the egg shape index was calculated using the
following formula by Anderson et al. (2004).
Eggshell thickness: The shell was broken and
cleaned using tissue paper. The removed shell
membrane was air dried at room temperature. After
drying, three pieces of shells were taken from the
narrow side (sharp end), the middle side (equatorial
region), and the broad end side (blunt end). Each
piece shell was measured using a digital caliper
meter. An average shell thickness of three pieces
was then calculated.
2.5.2. Internal quality
Haugh Unit: After completing measuring the
external characters, the egg was broken out on a
glass surface to measure the albumen and yolk
heights. The height of the thick albumin and yolk
were measured using an Ames tripod stand
micrometer as described by Haugh, (1937). The
height of the thick albumen was measured on the
moth sides opposite to the chalazae then the
average was taken. Haugh Unit was calculated as
the ratio between egg weight and albumen height
(mm) following the formula below (Haugh, 1937).
Where
AH = Albumen height in mm
EW = egg weight in grams7.57 and 1.7 are
correction factors
Yolk index: The yolk index was expressed as the
ratio of yolk height to yolk diameter. The
measurement was done after the egg was broken on
a glass surface using an Ames tripod stand
micrometer as described by Haugh (1937). The
height of the yolk was determined by measuring
the distance between the glass plate and the top of
the yolk. The yolk diameter was measured
horizontally by a digital caliper meter. The yolk
index was then calculated using the following
formula.
[6]
Yolk and albumen weight: The yolk was carefully
separated from the albumen and placed in two
different Petri dishes. Both Petri dishes used in
weighing the egg contents were initially weighed
and the difference in the weights of the petri dish
after and before the egg component was taken as
the weight of the egg components. After each
weighing, the Petri dishes were washed in clean
water and wiped dry before the next weighing.
Yolk color: The yolk color was determined using a
Roche color fan (RCF) using 1 to 16 scale where 1
= very pale and 16 = deep orange (Ashton and
Fletcher, 1962).
2.6. Statistical analysis
The data collected on egg production, egg weight,
and internal and external egg quality was analyzed
using General Linear Models Procedure (SAS
J. Agric. Environ. Sci. Vol. 7 No. 2 (2022) ISSN: 2616-3721 (Online); 2616-3713 (Print)
Publication of College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Bahir Dar University 42
Institute, 2002, ver. 9.2). Mean separation was
performed using Multiple Range test (Duncan,
1955).
Single-factor ANOVA model was used to evaluate
the effect of JSM on egg production (number of
eggs, rate of laying (Hen-day egg production
(HDEP), Hen-housed egg production (HHEP)), and
internal and external egg quality.
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Feed consumption and Production
performance
The effect of JSM on daily feed intake (DFI) and
egg production performance is presented in Table
2. Chicken that fed with T1 (control) had higher
(p<0.05) DFI than chicken that fed with treated and
untreated JSM. Chicken that fed on the T2 diet
(untreated JSM) had lower DFI than chickens that
fed on T3 T4, and T5, which were statistically
similar when compared to each other (p>0.05).
The possible reasons for higher DFI in the standard
diet compared to other diets could be associated
with the anti-nutritional elements present in diets
that affect palatability. A combination of the
negative effect of anti-nutritive and toxic
compounds in the diet decreased feed consumption
which then inhibited chicken growth (Barros et al.,
2015). The concentration of 0.13 mg/g phorbol
esters present in the Jatropha curcas has been
reported as having a significant adverse effect on
food intake and growth rate of rats (Aregheore et
al., 2003). The decrease in DFI in chicken
receiving the rations with JSM in the current study
is in line with the work of Sumiati et al. (2012)
who reported that feeding fermented 7.5% Jatropha
curcas meal decreased the feed consumption of the
laying hen.
The food conversion rate (FCR) of the hen was
influenced by the treatment groups. Accordingly
chicken reared using the control diet (T1) had
lower FCR than chicken kept on treated and
untreated JSM (p<0.05). The results revealed that
chickens that fed on T2 had higher (p<0.05) FCR
than chickens receiving T4 and T1 diets. No
significant difference in FCR was observed
between chicken getting T3 and T5 experimental
diets. The reason for a decrease in FCR in the
control and an increase in other diets with treated
and untreated JSM could be associated with better
nutrient utilization in the control and poor
utilization of JSM due to the anti-nutritional
elements and toxic substance (Tiurma et al., 2010).
Mortality was also influenced by the diet groups
used in the present study (Table 2). A higher
mortality rate was recorded in chicken that fed on
diets containing treated and untreated JSM than the
control diet. Chicken that fed on T5 had the highest
mortality percentage of 5% compared to other
experimental diet groups (p<0.05), while the
chicken in the control ratio had the lowest mortality
percentage 1.25%. The reason for high mortality
rate of hens that fed on rations containing untreated
and treated JSM could be due to the toxic
substances found in jatropha. Ojediran et al. (2014)
reported a high mortality rate ranging from 43.3 to
83.3% in broilers that fed on both treated and
untreated JSM. In this study, mortality has
occurred only during the first three weeks of the
experimental period and there was no mortality
afterward. This could be partly associated with the
change of environment related to the house.
Table 2: Daily feed intake, feed conversion ratio, and egg production of Lohmann brown commercial layers as
influenced by jatropha seed meal
Performance
Treatments
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
SEM
P-value
DFI g/b/d
122
a
116
c
120
b
120
b
120
b
0.297
0.0001
FCR
3.4
d
4.6
a
4.4
b
4.1
c
4.3
b
0.046
0.0001
HDEP (%)
69.4
a
49.0
b
67.2
a
67.8
a
66.8
a
1.05
0.0001
HHEP (%)
61.7
a
45.3
b
61.0
a
62.0
a
61.0
a
0.97
0.0001
Mortality (%)
1.25
d
2.50
c
3.75
b
3.75
b
5.0
a
0.33
0.0001
Row means with different superscript letters differ significantly at p< 0.05. SEM = standard error of the mean,
T1 = control (42% white maize + 15% wheat bran + 7% noug cake + 25% soybean + 4% bone and meat meal +
4% limestone +2.5% premix + 0.5% salt), 5% of soybean seed in T1 was replaced by 1.25% untreated (T2),
heat treated (T3), NaOH treated (T4) and yeast treated (T5) Jatropha seed meal; DFI = Daily feed intake, FCR =
feed conversion ratio, HDEP = hen day egg production, HHEP = hen housed egg production
J. Agric. Environ. Sci. Vol. 7 No. 2 (2022) ISSN: 2616-3721 (Online); 2616-3713 (Print)
Publication of College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Bahir Dar University 43
The trend of egg production during the
experimental period is presented in Figure 1 below.
Chicken that fed on T4 showed an irregular pattern
of HDEP in which there was a decrease in egg
production from the 22
nd
week to the 23
rd
week of
production and went up from the 24
th
week of
production. Chickens on T2 showed a smaller
increment of egg production up to the 26
th
week of
production and slightly dropped from the 26
th
week
of production to 27
th
and then showed an increment
at a lower rate compared to other treatments.
Except for hens fed on the T2 diet the 26
th
week of
production was the pick production period with
values of 81.8, 80.6, and 80% for T1, T4, T3, and
T5 respectively.
The values of HDEP and HHEP were low for hens
getting T2 than the control and other treatment
diets because of the low feed intake due to the anti-
nutritional element that could affect protein
consumption.
The result of HDEP in the current study is
comparable to the work earlier reported by Fasuyi
et al. (2007); but higher than the earlier finding by
Sumiati et al. (2012).
T1 = control (42% white maize + 15% wheat bran + 7% noug cake + 25% soybean + 4% bone and meat meal + 4%
limestone +2.5% vit. Premix + 0.5% salt), 5% of soybean seed in T1 was replaced by 1.25% untreated (T2), heat treated
(T3), NaOH treated (T4) and yeast treated (T5) Jatropha seed meal
Figure 1: Pattern of HDEP of Lohmann Brown commercial layer during the experimental period (21 to 28 weeks of
production)
3.2. Egg quality Parameters
3.2.1. External egg quality
Effects of feeding diets on egg quality parameters
of Lohmann Brown commercial layers are
presented in Table 3. There were significant
variations in egg mass among the treatment groups.
Hens that on fed T1 had the highest p<0.05) egg
mass compared to hens that fed on all other
treatment diets. Similarly, hens that received the T2
diet produced eggs with the lowest egg mass
compared to those that fed on all other groups. On
the other hand, no variations in egg weight, egg
shape index, and eggshell thickness were recorded
from all treatment groups (p>0.05). ()
Higher egg mass and production in chicken fed T1
than the other treatment diets could be associated
with the higher amount of feed consumed resulting
in higher egg production. A decrease in energy and
protein intake resulted in decreasing egg
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
Egg production (%/week)
Experimental period (week of production)
T1 T2 T3 T4 T5
J. Agric. Environ. Sci. Vol. 7 No. 2 (2022) ISSN: 2616-3721 (Online); 2616-3713 (Print)
Publication of College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Bahir Dar University 44
production (Leeson and Summers, 2005). The
similarity in egg weight in all experimental groups
indicated that the inclusion of 5% treated and
untreated JSM to replace the soybean meal had no
adverse effect on egg weight. Similar results were
observed by Sumiati et al. (2012) who reported that
there was no variation in the egg weight among the
treatment groups that were fed fermented Jatroph
curass meal. The egg weight in this study is
relatively lower than the values observed in
previous research (62.67 to 68.30 g) as indicated by
Fasuyi et al. (2007).
The shape of the egg is a very important trait in
handling during incubation and packaging for
transport. Eggs having Irregular shapes will be
broken in packaging because they may not fit into
the tray or containers. The treated and untreated
JSM inclusion in chicken diets had no influence on
the egg shape index compared to the control diets.
The egg shape index in this study is slightly higher
than the values observed in earlier research (71.5 to
73.3%) as reported by Welelaw et al. (2018). The
possible reasons for the difference between the
earlier report and the present study could be breed
and feed source differences. Based on the
classification of Sarica and Erensayin (2009) the
shape index observed in the present study is
categorized as normal or standard (SI = 72–76),
which is important to reduce damages during
transportation.
The eggshell thickness is an important indicator of
the specific gravity (relative density) of eggs. The
shell thickness and porosity help to regulate the
exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen between
the developing embryo and the air during
incubation (Roque and Soares, 1994). Shell
thickness also has a significant effect on moisture
loss during incubation and shortage. Thin-shelled
eggs lose more moisture than thick-shelled eggs,
causing the chicks to have difficulty in hatching
(Roque and Soares, 1994). Eggshell thickness and
strength are very important to handle the egg
during transportation from the time of laying up to
consumption (Aberra et al., 2005). In the present
study, the replacement of soybean by 5% treated
and untreated JSM in the diet did not affect the
shell thickness of eggs. The eggshell thickness
observed in the present study was however lower
than the values in the previous study (Fasuyi et al.,
2007) which reported values in the range of 0.39 to
0.47 mm. On the other hand shell thicknesses
obtained in this study were relatively higher than
those observed by Welelaw et al. (2018).
Table 3: External egg quality parameters of Lohmann brown commercial layers as influenced by jatropha seed meal
Row means with different superscript letters differ significantly at (p< 0.05). SEM= standard error of the mean.
T1=control (42% white maize + 15% wheat bran + 7% noug cake + 25% soybean + 4% bone and meat meal +
4% limestone +2.5% + 0.5% salt), 5% of soybean seed in T1 was replaced by 1.25% untreated (T2), heat treated
(T3), NaOH treated (T4) and yeast treated (T5) Jatropha seed meal
3.2.2. Internal egg quality
The effect of dietary inclusion of JSM on internal
egg quality parameters of Lohmann brown
commercial layers is presented in Table 4. Eggs
from hens that fed on T5 had the highest Haugh
Unit (81.4) value, which was statistically similar to
the eggs from hens that fed on T1 and T4 diets. On
the other hand, the lowest Haugh Unit (77.4) was
recorded on the egg from hens fed diet T2, which
was statistically similar to those produced from T3
(p<0.05).
Eggs from hens that fed on T2 and T3 diets
reduced the albumen height compared to eggs from
hens that fed the other rations. Eggs from hens fed
on T1 and T5 had a higher (p<0.05) yolk index
(0.43) than eggs from hens fed on T2, T3, and T4
(0.41). Hens fed on T1 and T2 had higher (p<0.05)
Value of albumen weight (32.2 g) than hens fed T3
and T4 (31.7 and 30.9), however, there was no
variation between hens fed T3 and T4 and among
hens fed T1, T2 and T5 at p>0.05.
Egg Quality
Treatments
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
SEM
P-value
Egg shape index
75.1
75.66
74.95
75.75
74.89
0.22
0.043
Egg mass (g/h)
29.9
a
20.3
d
22.2
c
22.
5bc
23.1
b
0.34
0.00
Egg Wt. (g)
60.0
59.7
58.7
59.3
59.7
0.2
0.002
Shell thickness
(mm)
0.39
0.39
0.39
0.40
0.40
0.002
0.76
J. Agric. Environ. Sci. Vol. 7 No. 2 (2022) ISSN: 2616-3721 (Online); 2616-3713 (Print)
Publication of College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Bahir Dar University 45
The result indicated significant differences in yolk
height, yolk weight, and yolk color among the
treatment groups. Eggs from hens that fed on T1,
T4 and T5 diets had higher (p< 0.05) yolk height
(16.1, 16 and 15.9 mm) than chicken reared on T2
and T3 diets. There were no differences in yolk
weight between T1 and T5, and between T3 and T4
at (p>0.05). Eggs from hens that fed on T3 and T4
had a higher (p<0.05) value of yolk weight (17.9g)
compared to those fed on T1, T2 and T5, While
eggs from hens fed on T2 had the lowest value of
yolk weight (16.3 g). Hens fed on T1 produced
eggs with a higher (p<0.05) value of RCF (1.9)
(dark yellow) on yolk color than hens that received
T3, T4 and T5 diets. Eggs from hens that fed on T2
and T4 had higher (p<0.05) values of RCF than
those fed on the T5 diet.
The results in the current study noted that JSM
treated with NaOH and baking yeast has a positive
effect on HU which was related to the production
of eggs with better egg weight and albumen height.
The values of HU in the current study were higher
than the results observed by Fasuyi et al. (2007)
who reported values ranged from 61.30 to 67.67.
The reasons for different reports on HU values
compared to the current study could be due to
differences in strain and age of hens (Silversides
and Scott, 2001).
T2 and T3 reduced the albumen height compared to
the other rations. The height of the albumen
influences Haugh’s unit of the egg. The higher the
height of the albumen, the greater the value of
Haugh’s unit and the better the quality of the egg
will be (Oluyemi and Roberts, 2007). Albumen
height in this study is in good agreement with the
study by Yilkal et al. (2018) who reported values
ranging from 7.89 to 8.38mm. Albumen weight
and height are related to the weight of the egg,
which increases gradually with the weight of the
egg (Sinha et al., 2017). The result of albumen
weight in this study was higher than the work of
Sinha et al. (2017) who reported values (of 27.361
and 33. 126 g). The reason for these variations
might be due to differences in age, breed, feed and
environment.
Yolk height in the present study is comparable with
literature values ranging from 15.74 to 17.35mm
(Sinha et al., 2017) but lower values were also
reported (Welelaw et al., 2018). Treated JSM had a
positive influence on yolk weight which indicates
that the replacement of 5% soybean meal with
treated JSM in layer rations increased the yolk
weight more than the untreated JSM. The result
noted that eggs collected from chickens reared
under the control ration and ration containing
UJSM had better yolk color.
Table 4: Internal egg quality parameters of Lohmann brown commercial layers as influenced by influenced by
jatropha seed meal
Egg Quality
Treatments
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
SEM
P-value
Albumen Height
(mm)
8.3
a
7.9
b
7.9
b
8.2
ab
8.3
a
0.052
0.02
Yolk Height (mm)
16.1
a
15.6
b
15.6
b
16.0
a
15.9
a
0.06
0.006
Yolk Wt. (g)
17.2
b
16.3
c
17.9
a
17.9
a
17.2
b
0.120
0.0001
Albumen Wt.(g)
33.2
a
33.2
a
31.7
bc
30.9
c
32.5
ab
0.24
0.005
Haugh Unit (HU)
80.7
ab
77.4
c
78.0
bc
80.7
ab
81.4
a
0.49
0.022
Yolk Index
0.43
a
0.41
b
0.41
b
0.41
b
0.43
a
0.002
0.0002
Yolk color(RCF)
1.9
a
1.8
ab
1.2
bc
1.5
b
1.0
c
0.61
0.0001
Means with different superscript letters in the row differ significantly at p< 0.05. SEM = standard error of the
mean
4. Conclusion
The inclusion of JSM in the diet of Lohmann
Brown commercial layers influences the
performance and egg quality parameters.
Substitution of 5% of soybean with untreated
1.25% of JSM reduced DFI, HDEP and HHEP, and
all the external and internal egg quality traits except
egg shape index, egg weight and shell thickness.
This treatment also increased FCR and mortality of
hens. On the other hand, the substitution of 5% of
soybean with heat, NaOH and yeast-treated 1.25%
JSM diet did not influence the HDEP, HHEP, Egg
shape index, Egg weight, Shell thickness, Albumin
height, Yolk height, Yolk weight and Haugh Unit
compared to the standard control diet. Therefore
1.25% heat, NaOH and yeast-treated JSM could be
J. Agric. Environ. Sci. Vol. 7 No. 2 (2022) ISSN: 2616-3721 (Online); 2616-3713 (Print)
Publication of College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Bahir Dar University 46
used to replace 5% of the soybean seed in the
Lohmann Brown layers diet.
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest exists.
Acknowledgment
The authors would like to sincerely appreciate
Hawassa University, Office of the vice president
for Research and Technology Transfer for the
financial support
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