China Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Medicine ›› 2026, Vol. 53 ›› Issue (2): 703-710.doi: 10.16431/j.cnki.1671-7236.2026.02.018

• Nutrition and Feed • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Effects of Different Oil Sources on Laying Performance, Egg Quality, and Fatty Acid Composition of Egg Yolk

HAO Zhilei(), ZHANG Hongrui, MA Yun()   

  1. College of Animal Science and Technology,Ningxia University,Yinchuan 750021,China
  • Revised:2025-09-17 Online:2026-02-20 Published:2026-01-27
  • Contact: MA Yun E-mail:hzl0728@126.com;mayun@nxu.edu.cn

Abstract:

Objective This study aimed to explore the effects of adding 1% oils from different sources (soybean oil, coconut oil, palm oil, and linseed oil) to diets on the laying performance and egg quality of laying hens, thereby providing a scientific basis for the rational selection of oils in laying hen diets. Method A total of 700 32-week-old Hy-line Brown laying hens with similar egg production rates and body weights were selected and randomly divided into 5 groups, with 5 replicates per group and 28 hens per replicate. The hens in control group were fed the basal diet, while in experimental groups were fed the basal diet supplemented with 1% soybean oil, coconut oil, palm oil, and linseed oil, respectively. The experimental period lasted for 28 days. During the experiment, the laying performance of each replicate was evaluated based on statistical data. On the 28th day, 5 eggs were randomly selected from each replicate for egg quality analysis, and the fatty acid composition of egg yolk was determined using a gas chromatograph. Result Compared with control group, dietary supplementation with 1% soybean oil, palm oil, linseed oil, or coconut oil significantly reduced the average daily feed intake, broken egg rate, and feed-to-egg ratio of laying hens (P<0.05). The addition of coconut oil significantly increased the egg production rate, average egg weight, and eggshell strength compared with control group (P<0.05). The results of egg fatty acid analysis indicated that supplementation with 1% soybean oil significantly increased the linoleic acid content in eggs (P<0.05), the content of ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-6 PUFA) in soybean oil group was 37.41%, 36.42%, 30.00%, and 37.98% higher than that in control, palm oil, linseed oil, and coconut oil groups, respectively (P<0.05). Supplementation with 1% linseed oil significantly increased the contents of linolenic acid (C18∶3), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20∶5), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22∶6) in eggs (P<0.05), and the content of ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 PUFA) in linseed oil group was 77.82%, 63.53%, 73.31%, and 73.68% higher than that in control, soybean oil, palm oil, and coconut oil groups, respectively (P<0.05). In addition, dietary supplementation with 1% soybean oil or linseed oil significantly increased the content of unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) in eggs (P<0.05). Conclusion The addition of 1% vegetable oils of different types could effectively optimize the production performance of laying hens: Coconut oil was the best choice for improving laying performance, soybean oil and linseed oil were ideal sources for enhancing ω-6 PUFA and ω-3 PUFA, respectively, and palm oil was a safe and cost-effective option.

Key words: Hy-line Brown laying hens; oil sources; laying performance; egg quality; fatty acid composition

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