Research Article Open Access

Effects of Dietary Palm Oil Inclusion Levels on Zootechnical and Biochemical Performance of Pullets

Authors

Ahmed MIJIYAWA
Department of Animal Science, Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Non-Grain Feed Resources (co-constructed by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Efficient Feeding of Shandong Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, Shandong, 271017, China
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Elham Ghashghaei
iD 0009-0006-6353-6859
Department of Animal Science, Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Non-Grain Feed Resources (co-constructed by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Efficient Feeding of Shandong Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, Shandong, 271017, China
|
Okasha Hamada
iD 0000-0002-3375-1930
Animal Production Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Benha University, Moshtohor 13736, Egypt
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Huimin Wang
iD 0009-0008-3882-9734
Department of Animal Science, Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Non-Grain Feed Resources (co-constructed by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Efficient Feeding of Shandong Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, Shandong, 271017, China
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Uchechukwu Edna Obianwuna
iD 0000-0002-9934-1862
Institute of Feed Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Beijing, China
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Dossêh Jean Apôtre Afayibo
iD 0000-0002-3235-1855
Department of Animal Science, Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Non-Grain Feed Resources (co-constructed by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Efficient Feeding of Shandong Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, Shandong, 271017, China
|
Minghui Wang
iD 0000-0003-0786-0954
Department of Animal Science, Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Non-Grain Feed Resources (co-constructed by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Efficient Feeding of Shandong Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, Shandong, 271017, China
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Wéré Pitala
iD 0000-0001-7354-0436
Regional Center of Excellence for Avian Sciences, University of Lome, Lome, Togo
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CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Hai Lin
iD 0000-0002-0878-137X
Department of Animal Science, Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Non-Grain Feed Resources (co-constructed by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Efficient Feeding of Shandong Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, Shandong, 271017, China
Published on: July 28, 2026
DOI 10.66920/ijps.2026.114.122
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Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to improve the production performance of ISA Brown laying hens by incorporating palm oil into their diet.

Materials and Methods: Six hundred ten-week-old birds were randomly allocated to four groups (H0, H1, H2 and H3) and reared for a period of ten weeks. Each group consisted of five replicates of 30 birds each. Groups H0, H1, H2 and H3 were fed diets containing 0, 1, 2 and 3% palm oil, respectively. Body weight, feed intake, average daily gain and feed conversion ratio were measured weekly for all birds. At 21 weeks of age, 10 birds were randomly selected from each group for blood sample collection and subsequent biochemical analysis.

Results: The results indicated no significant differences among the four groups in mean body weight, mean daily gain, feed conversion ratio, or serum gamma-GT concentration (p>0.05). However, feed intake was significantly higher only in group H1 compared with groups H0, H2 and H3 (p<0.05). Groups H2 and H3 exhibited significantly elevated total protein and glucose levels (p<0.0001) compared to groups H0 and H1. In contrast, ALT concentration was significantly higher in group H3 than in groups H0, H1 and H2 (p<0.0001). Triglyceride levels were also significantly higher (p<0.0001) in the treated groups compared with group H0. Moreover, AST and total cholesterol concentrations were markedly elevated in group H3.

Conclusion: Based on these results, the incorporation of 2% palm oil into pullet diets is recommended to improve production performance.

Keywords:

Biochemical parameters, palm oil, poultry diet, pullets, zootechnical

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Copyright (c) 2026 Ahmed MIJIYAWA, Elham Ghashghaei, Okasha Hamada, Huimin Wang, Uchechukwu Edna Obianwuna, Dossêh Jean Apôtre Afayibo, Minghui Wang, Wéré Pitala, Hai Lin

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This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

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MIJIYAWA, A., Ghashghaei, E. ., Hamada, O. ., Wang, H. ., Obianwuna, U. E. .,  Afayibo, D., Wang, M. ., Pitala, W. ., & Lin, H. . (2026). Effects of Dietary Palm Oil Inclusion Levels on Zootechnical and Biochemical Performance of Pullets. International Journal of Poultry Science, 25, 114–122. https://doi.org/10.66920/ijps.2026.114.122
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