3.1. Egg production
Supplementation with peppermint leaves showed effect on hen-day egg production, egg weight, egg mass and feed to egg mass ratio (FCR; Table 3). There was no mortality and the general health status of laying hens was good throughout the experimental period. The higher inclusion levels of peppermint leaves significantly increased the egg weight, egg production, egg mass and feed intake as well as improved FCR (P<0.001) from 64 to 68, 68 to 72, and 72 to 76 weeks of age. For overall experiment period (64–76 weeks of age), the peppermint leaves supplementation resulted in a linear increase (P<0.001) in egg weight and egg mass with the increasing levels in the diets. Likewise, dietary peppermint leaves (5, 10, 15 or 20 g/kg) increased hen-day egg production linearly (P<0.001) by 6.63%, 6.68%, 8.99% and 9.89% than control, respectively (Table 3). Moreover, peppermint leaves significantly (linear, P<0.001) increased feed intake during the experimental period. The feed conversion ratio decreased linearly (P<0.001) with the increasing peppermint levels.
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