The study was conducted to determine productive performances and egg quality traits of Isa Brown (IB), Bovan Brown (BB) and Potchefstroom Koekoek (PK) under village production system in Ada’a and Lume districts of East Shewa, Ethiopia. A total of 180 randomly selected smallholder farmers were included in the study from six purposively selected Peasant Associations (PAs) from the two districts. Information was obtained on average eggs/year and age at first laying, while hen’s body weight was measured directly during survey and egg collection. The average egg production/year was 276.1, 266.32, and 187.04 eggs for IB, BB and PK, respectively. The average age at first laying was 160.5, 165.5 and 153.3 days for IB, BB and PK, respectively. The strain BB was superior for egg weight, yolk height, albumen height (AH), albumen weight, Haugh unit (HU) and eggshell thickness than IB and PK. The IB was found to be superior to BB and PK for yolk weight, whereas PK was superior to IB and BB for yolk colour. In this study, the egg quality traits obtained from these layers was a good quality at village level, while to better conclude on the average number of egg /bird/year, it may need further study through considering the amount and types of feed supplement by farmers and proper recording on the number of eggs laid. Key words: Exotic chicken, productive performances, egg quality traits.

A total of 227 eggs were collected during summer 2013 from Isa Brown (IB), Bovan Brown (BB) and Potchefstroom Koekoek (PK) chickens for comparative study of internal and external egg quality traits under intensive and village production systems in East Shewa, Ethiopia. The data collected was analyzed using SPSS and significant differences in egg quality traits were compared using post hoc multiple comparisons. Average egg weight, Haugh Unit, shell thickness, yolk colour, albumen weight, yolk percent and yolk to albumin ratio of IB showed a significant difference (p<0.05) under intensive and village production systems. BB showed a statistical significant difference (p<0.05) for egg weight, yolk height, albumen height, yolk colour, Haugh Unit, shell thickness, yolk percent and albumen percent under intensive and village production systems. Further, average yolk height, yolk weight, yolk color, yolk percent and yolk to albumen ratio of PK revealed a significant difference under village and intensive production systems. The study revealed that even though the differences were observed in egg quality traits under intensive and extensive system, eggs produced from village were also found to be good quality. Key words: Egg quality traits, exotic chicken, intensive and village production system.

Previous attempts to increase the level of flaxseed in hens’ diet for the production of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs)-enriched eggs have been commonly associated with undesirable effects on production efficiency, lipid health indices, and oxidative stability of eggs, requiring adequate research attention. This study investigated the effects of feeding a moderate level of flaxseed (FS) and plant polyphenol extracts (PPEs) on fatty acid content, oxidative stability, and lipid health indices in eggs of slow-growing Sasso T451A laying hens. One hundred and five hens were assigned to five groups (seven replicates of three) and fed on FS (75 g flaxseed and no antioxidants), VE8 (75 g flaxseed and 800 mg vitamin E), TS8 (75 g flaxseed and 800 mg Thymus schimperi), DA8 (75 g flaxseed and 800 mg Dodonaea angustifolia), and CD8 (75 g flaxseed and 800 mg Curcuma domestica) extract per kg diets. The egg yolk content of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20:5 n-3) in the DA8, TS8, and CD8 diets and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6 n-3) in TS8 and CD8 diets significantly (p < 0.05) increased compared with the FS diet. The FS diet significantly increased the malondialdehyde (MDA) content in egg yolks, whereas the TS8 diet decreased it by 67% (p < 0.05). Little difference was observed in yolk fatty acid content between cooked and raw eggs. Production of n-3 PUFA-enriched eggs with favorable lipid health indices was possible through inclusion of PPEs extracted from local plant species grown in Ethiopia and a moderate dose of flaxseed in the diet of laying hens.

Adding flaxseed was found to decrease oxidative stability in feed and increase the antioxidant needs of chicken. This has also been associated with a decrease in the nutritional value and oxidative stability of meat if sufficient dietary antioxidants are not included. Furthermore, dietary flaxseed has been explored in fast-growing chickens as such studies are limited with slow-growing chickens. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of feeding plant polyphenol extracts as an antioxidant alongside flaxseed on fatty acid content, oxidative stability, and lipid health indices in breast muscle of slow-growing Sasso T451A dual-purpose chicken. A total of 126 chickens assigned to six groups (seven replicates of three) were fed on NC (control and no antioxidants), FS (75 g flaxseed and no antioxidants), VE8 (75 g flaxseed and 800 mg vitamin E), TS8 (75 g flaxseed and 800 mg Thymus schimperi), DA8 (75 g flaxseed and 800 mg Dodonaea angustifolia) and CD8 (75 g flaxseed and 800 mg Curcuma domestica) extract per kg diet. Feeding on CD8 and VE8 in raw and TS8, CD8 and VE8 diets in cooked breast muscle increased (p < 0.05) the C22:6n − 3 (DHA) and C20:5n − 3 (EPA) contents compared to the FS diet. Feeding FS increased (p < 0.05) the malondialdehyde (MDA) content in breast muscle, whereas TS8 in cooked and raw and CD8 and DA8 diets in raw breast muscle decreased it (p < 0.05). No added benefit was observed in feeding VE8 over plant extracts in terms of improving fatty acid composition and lipid health indices and reducing lipid oxidation in breast meat.

In chicken diet with dietary fat, adding plant polyphenols as a natural antioxidant is recommended to enhance the n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 PUFA) content and improve oxidative stability in meat and eggs. However, high plant polyphenol doses could act as a pro-oxidant and interfere with the absorption of n-3 PUFAs. The study aimed to determine the effects of Dodoneae angustifolia (D. angustifolia) polyphenol levels in flaxseed-enriched diets on fatty acid content and oxidative stability in the meat and eggs of Sasso chickens. Chickens received 0, 200, 500, or 800 mg of D. angustifolia extract/kg diet designated as DA0, DA2, DA5, and DA8 treatments, respectively. Results showed that the breast muscle content of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6n-3) in 200 and 500 mg extract/kg diet and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20:5n-3) in 800 mg extract/kg diet increased (p < 0.05) compared to those who did not receive. Feeding D. angustifolia polyphenol levels had no significant effect on egg yolk n-3 PUFA content. However, a decrease (p < 0.05) in egg yolk n-6 PUFAs was observed in hens with an increase in the dose of D. angustifolia polyphenol extract. In breast muscle, feeding on a 500 mg extract/kg diet decreased lipid peroxidation (p < 0.05) compared to the control diet. However, feeding different doses of D. angustifolia extracts had no effect on egg yolk lipid peroxidation.

This study evaluated effects of feeding flaxseed and plant polyphenol extracts on breast meat characteristics, functional properties, egg quality and consumer acceptability in Sasso dual-purpose T451A hens. Completely randomized block design was used to assign 126 hens (seven replicates of three) into six dietary groups; NC: 0 g/kg flaxseed + no antioxidant, FS: 75 g/kg of flaxseed + no antioxidant and remaining four groups received 75 g/kg flaxseed supplemented either with 800 mg/kg α-tocopherol (VE8) or 800 mg/kg of plant polyphenol extract derived from D. angustifolia , T. schimperi , or C. domestica. The FS diet increased breast muscle drip loss, whereas the CD8 diet significantly reduced it (1.39% vs. 0.74%). Breast muscle pH elevated in FS, while polyphenols reduced it. Haugh Unit values increased significantly from 75.4 in FS to 77.5 in CD8 and 81.2 in TS8 diets. Inclusion of polyphenols improved albumen height and Haugh Unit, enhancing egg freshness. Eggs from both FS and polyphenols groups were well-accepted by consumers with no off-flavors detected. In conclusion, 800 mg polyphenol extract inclusion enhanced functional properties meat and eggs without affecting consumers perceived sensory attributes; while mitigating adverse effects associated with flaxseed feeding. However, possible effect of feeding whole plant material compared to extract form needs to be explored.