Abstract

The present study was conducted to determine the effects of the diet supplementation of laying hens with Cordyceps Militaris Polysaccharide (CMP) on egg production and quality, and also caecal microbiota. A total of 360 Hy-Line Brown laying hens with 72-week-old were divided into three groups with four replicates of 30 birds each. The laying hens were fed with basal diet (control group), basal diet +100 mg CMP/kg (group 1) and basal diet + 200 mg CMP/kg (group 2). The experiment lasted 45 days. Eggs were collected daily and caecal samples were collected at the end of the experiment. Results showed that dietary supplementation with CMP did not affect albumen height, shape index, Haugh units, eggshell breaking strength and eggshell thickness. The laying rate significantly increased and the feed-egg ratio decreased in groups 1 and 2, the average daily egg weight significantly increased in group 2 compared with those in the control group. However, insignificant differences were found in broken egg rate and mortality among the three groups. The differences in caecal microbiota between group one and the control group were significant. The relative abundance of Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria at the phylum level, Christensenellaceae and Veillonellaceae at the family level, and the no rank_ Ruminococcaceae, Phascolarctobacterium and no rank Christensenellaceae at the genus level changed significantly in group one compared with those in the control group. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with 100 and 200 mg CMP/kg could improve product performance and affect the caecal microbial community structure of laying hens during the late laying period.