Call number: LD2668 .T4 1948 N44 / Master of Science

A study was conducted to examine the response to feeding flaxseed (FS) and probiotics on plasma and egg yolk cholesterol and plasma fatty acid profile in laying hens. A total of 576 Single Comb White Leghorn hens (SCWL) at 26 weeks of age were fed diets containing 15% FS and a corn-soybean meal diet (C) supplemented with and without ferlac 25 (F25) or Lactobacillus acidophilus (LA). Feed consumption was significantly (p < 0.05) increased by FS supplemented with both F25 and LA. Dietary treatments had no significant (p > 0.05) effect on feed conversion. Egg production was significantly (p < 0.05) higher among the FS probiotic supplemented diets and significantly (p < 0.05) lower for dietary FS supplemented with LA. However, egg yolk weight did not respond to dietary treatments (p > 0.05). Body weight was significantly low for all FS fed groups. Shell thickness was not statistically significant (p > 0.05) among experimental treatments, while haugh units were significantly (p < 0.05) higher for FS group supplemented with LA. Probiotic supplementation significantly (p < 0.05) reduced plasma cholesterol (CHL) from 161mg/dL in C diet to 117mg/dL in probiotic supplemented groups. Plasma triglycerides (TG) were significantly (p < 0.05) reduced from 2.8g/dL in FS to 1.9g/dL in probiotic supplemented groups while egg yolk CHL was significantly (p < 0.05) reduced by probiotic supplementation on FS treatments from 14.04mg/g in FS fed group to 10.16mg/g in LA supplemented FS group. Fatty acids profile in the egg yolk responded significantly (p < 0.05) to dietary treatments. FS treatments with and without probiotic supplementation significantly reduced C18:1 o-9 by 12%; while the PUFA families (o-3 and o-6) were significantly (p < 0.05) increased in FS fed group by 93% and 18%, respectively. C20:4, o-6 was significantly reduced from 6.6mg/g in the C group to 3.96mg/g in Fs groups. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

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