the effects of different levels of untreated and treatedgreen grape leaf on performance, egg traits quality and blood parameters of laying hens

this experiment was conducted to evaluation the effects of different levels of untreated and treated green grape leaf with urea on performance, egg quality traits and blood parameters of laying hens. in this experiment 192 hy-line (w-36) laying hens, 35 to 46 wk of age were divided in to 4 treatments with 4 replicates (12 birds per replicate) in a completely randomized design experiment. the treatments included: 1) control group, 2) group with 3% untreated green grape leaf, 3) group with 3% green grape leaf treated with 0.5% urea and 4) group treated with 3% green grape leaf treated with 1% urea. the best values for egg weight, egg production percentage, egg mass, feed consumption, feed conversion ratio, feed price for per kilogram of egg production, eggshell weight, yolk weight and haugh unit were in group 3. using green grape leaf in diets reduced the levels of blood high density lipoprotein (hdl) and the lowest amount was obtained with 3% green grape leaf treated with 0.5% urea. the lowest count of white blood cells, heterophil and highest lymphocyte percentage and the low heterophil to lymphocyte ratio were noted in group 4. the overall results indicated that in laying hens, using 3% green grape leaf treated with urea in diets significantly improved their performance, egg traits and production cost, blood parameters.