Abstract
An experiment was done using 160 Hi-sex Brown laying hens to investigate the effect of different levels of dietary faba bean (FB) with or without enzyme cocktail supplements on productive performance, egg quality, and blood metabolites. The experimental diets composed of 5 levels of FB at 0 (control), 25, 50, 75, or 100% instead of soybean meal and 2 levels of enzyme cocktail (Gallazyme) 0 or 250 mg/kg diet. Feed, protein, and metabolizable energy intakes were significantly decreased with the increasing FB in laying hen diets (P < 0.001). The highest values of egg laying rate, egg output, and feed efficiency were observed by 25% FB, and the lowest with 75 and 100% FB (P < 0.001). No significant variation was reported in hen performance with or without enzyme cocktail except the egg weight was affected by the interaction effect (P < 0.05). Egg solids, total protein, total lipid, crude ash, and organic matter were affected by dietary FB inclusion (P < 0.05). Serum albumin (P < 0.035) and ammonia (P < 0.01) were affected by dietary FB, whereas blood proteins, calcium, and phosphorus were not (P < 0.05). Blood ammonia was numerically decreased by 22.22% with enzyme supplementation. Triglyceride and LDL-cholesterol were affected by dietary FB, whereas total cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol were not (P < 0.05). In conclusion, FB can be added to the laying hen diets at less than of 50% instead of soybean meal, supplemented with Gallazyme in order to improve performance traits.