Investigations about the use of linseed cake in laying hens

Two experiments were carried out to investigate the effect of substitute of wheat and soy beans by 2 up to 10% linseed cake in hybrids of laying hens (ZEH's Brown and White) from the 21st to the 44th week of life. 6 and 10% linseed cake reduced the feed intake nor significantly by 2.4% and 3.0%, respectively. Although there was a declining tendency in laying performance, egg weight and daily produced egg mass related to the amount of linseed cake in the diet, the differences remained insignificant. The linseed cake has not improved the feed conversion related to the produced amount of eggs. The supplementation of diet (10% linseed cake) with Enzyms (ZY 18 and 38) improved the egg production and feed conversion. Furthermore, the linseed cake in the diet enhanced the concentration of thiocyanate in blood serum. There were no significant differences between the test and control groups regarding parameters of the quality of eggs. The composition of lipid acids in the yolk was altered by the linseed cake, especially the concentration of linolenic acid in egg yolk was increased. We can recommend an upper limit of 6% linseed cake in the diet of laying hens.