A preliminary assessment of the impact of honey on the reproductive performance of naked neck hens

english

2025

volume 62, issue 2

egg quality   fertility   hatchability   honey   naked neck

Univerza v Ljubljani, Veterinarska fakulteta
(Obvezni izvod spletne publikacije)

Honey is natural nectar that bees gather from a variety of flowers. Different chemicals found in honey are essential for the growth of tissues and organs in all living things. The goal of the current study was to compare the effects of three different honey concentrations 0 g (control), 5 g (group A), and 10 g (group B) on the reproductive efficiency and egg quality attributes of naked neck hens over a 35-day period. A total of 90 (72+:18>) naked neck hens (75 weeks old) were stratified at random into three experimental groups, each with three replicates of 10 birds (8+:2>) each, under a com-pletely randomized design (CRD). The experimental groups—control, A, and B received supplemental treatments of honey in drinking water at concentrations of 0 g/liter, 5 g/liter, and 10 g/liter, respectively. One-way ANOVA with CRD was used to analyze the data. In comparison to the control and group A, group B had significantly increased egg production, egg fertility, and egg hatchability. However, statistical analysis revealed no changes (P>0.05) in the fertile hatch rate between the treatment groups. In the first and second week of the experiment, there were no statistically significant differences be-tween the eggs from different treatments in terms of eggshell weight and eggshell ratio. There were also no significant differences between three treatments in the thickness of the eggshells in the first week of the experiment. Nonetheless, when compared to the control and group A, a positive (P<0.05) effect was seen in the group B's overall means of egg weight, eggshell weight, eggshell ratio, and eggshell thickness in the third week of the experiment. Similar to this, group B had significantly higher mean values for egg length, egg breadth, egg shape index, egg volume, and egg surface area than did group A and the control. In conclusion, honey at a concentration of 10 g/liter (w/v) may prove effective when given orally to elderly laying hens.

04.11.2026