Effects of Different Levels of Carrot Juice Supplementation in Drinking Water on Performance, Egg Quality, Blood Parameters, and Gut Health of Babcock White Laying Hens

In this study, the effects of carrot juice on performance, egg quality, blood parameters, and intestinal flora in laying hens were examined. One hundred twenty-eight Babcock white laying hens were divided into four random groups, each with four replicates of eight hens. Fresh carrot juice was introduced to the drinking water of the hens at concentrations of 0% (control), 1%, 2.5%, and 5% for a duration of four weeks. Weekly feed intake, egg weight, feed conversion ratio, and daily egg production were monitored, while yolk color, albumen and yolk indices, shell thickness, and Haugh units were measured in weeks two and four. Blood samples were analyzed for biochemical and physiological parameters, and fecal samples were analyzed for microbial parameters at the end of the study. Carrot juice improved egg production, egg weight, and egg mass, without affecting daily feed intake, feed conversion ratio, or water consumption, while enhancing yolk color but reducing eggshell thickness. Blood analyses showed higher levels of total oxidant status, vitamin E, immunoglobulin G, alkaline phosphatase, lymphocyte count, and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration. Moreover, fecal Enterococcus counts were positively affected by the treatment. The findings indicate that carrot juice supplementation could positively affect performance, egg quality, some immune-related blood parameters, and gut microbiota in laying hens. Among the levels evaluated, adding 2.5% carrot juice to drinking water was found to provide the most balanced response.