Abstract
Laying hens were fed diets containing either black cumin seed or white wormwood leaves or the combination of the two additives and the effects on egg quality characteristics were determined. Final body weights were significantly increased in the birds fed the diet with 1% black cumin seed and in those fed the diet with 0.5% of both black cumin seed and white wormwood leaves. Feed intake was numerically lower after the feeding of the diets with 1% white wormwood leaves. Egg production was not significantly influenced by dietary treatment but group-mean egg production was lowered in the hens fed the diet with 1% black cumin seed. Feed conversion efficiency was significantly decreased by the diet containing 1% white wormwood leaves and by the diet with the combination of 1% of black cumin seed and 1% white wormwood leaves. The diet containing 0.5% black cumin seed plus 0.5% white wormwood leaves also significantly decreased feed conversion. Egg weight, shape index, albumen height, Haugh unit, shell thickness and yolk color were not significantly affected by the dietary treatments. The major finding of this study may be that dietary white wormwood improved feed efficiency in laying hens whereas black cumin seed did not.