A Comparison of the Effects of Raw and Processed Amaranth Grain on Laying Hens' Performance, Egg Physicochemical Properties, Blood Biochemistry and Egg Fatty Acids.

In order to investigate the effects of using different levels of either raw or processed amaranth () grain on performance productivity, egg physicochemical properties, blood biochemistry and egg fatty acids, a trial was conducted using 168 Hy-line W-36 laying hens (67 week of age) in a completely randomized design with seven treatments and six replications of four birds for eight weeks. The trial treatments included the control group receiving no amaranth and the test groups receiving 5, 10 and 15% of raw or autoclaved (120 °C for 5 min) amaranth grain based on dry matter. The results showed that the use of processed amaranth up to the level of five and ten percent of the diet compared to raw amaranth resulted in a better performance than the control group ( < 0.