Effect of Black Cumin (Nigella sativa) supplementation in laying hen diets on the achievement of 5% hen day average (HDA) production age
Faculty of Animal Science, University of Mataram, Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia.
Research Article
International Journal of Life Science Research Archive, 2026, 10(02), 167-172.
Article DOI: 10.53771/ijlsra.2026.10.2.0046
Publication history:
Received on 05 May 2026; revised on 22 June 2026; accepted on 24 June 2026
Abstract:
This study aimed to determine the effect of black cumin (Nigella sativa) supplementation in the diet on the age at 5% Hen-Day Average (HDA) production and early production performance of Lohmann Brown laying hens. The experiment was designed using a completely randomized design with 200 Lohmann Brown laying hens aged 90 days. The birds were divided into 4 treatment groups of black cumin supplementation at 0 (control), 600, 1200, and 1800 mg/kg of feed. Parameters observed included the age at 5% production, body weight at 5% production, egg weight at 5% HDA, total feed intake, and feed conversion ratio. The results showed that black cumin supplementation had a highly significant effect (P < 0.01) on all performance parameters. Supplementation of black cumin at 1200 mg/kg of feed resulted in the fastest age at sexual maturity (127 days), the highest body weight (1677.00 g), as well as the lowest feed intake (2848.63 g) and feed conversion ratio (1.70). It is recommended to apply black cumin powder at a dose of 1200 mg/kg of feed during the pre-lay phase to improve the feed conversion ratio and accelerate the onset of sexual maturity.
Keywords:
Laying Hens; Black Cumin; Sexual Maturity; Production Performance.
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