EVALUATION OF EGG YOLK QUALITY IN LAYING HENS FED DIETS BASED ON HIBISCUS SABDARIFFA FLOWERS

This study evaluated the pigmenting effect of Hibiscus sabdariffa flowers on egg yolk coloration and laying performance in hens. Ninety-six ISA-Brown hens, 50 weeks old, housed in pairs in Californian-type cages, were evenly allocated into four groups of 24 birds each corresponding to four dietary treatments: a negative control (R0, no pigment), a positive control (RJ, synthetic pigment), a diet supplemented with dried Hibiscus flowers (RF), and a diet combined with an aqueous extract of Hibiscus flowers (RE). Results showed that RJ produced the highest yolk color score (9.4), followed by RF (7.6), while RE (3.5) did not differ significantly (p > 0.05) from R0 (2.0). In addition to pigmentation, supplemented diets improved laying rate (82.7-87.4 %) compared with R0 (76.8 %) and reduced Feed Conversion Ratio (2.09-2.19 vs. 2.36). Economic analysis revealed that RF achieved an intermediate feed cost(30.4 FCFA/egg) and satisfactory efficiency, whereas RE was the most expensive (32.8 FCFA/egg) and least efficient. These findings indicate that Hibiscus sabdariffa flowers, when incorporated into diet, represent a sustainable natural alternative to synthetic pigments, enhancing yolk quality and supporting economic viability in laying hen production.Hibiscus sabdariffaHibiscus sabdariffa.