Dietary supplementation of oregano essential oil, lauric acid, and a multi-enzyme complex enhances productivity, metabolic status, and gut health in dagu breeder hens

Lay Summary With the increasing global demand for high-quality poultry meat and egg products, the Chinese indigenous chicken breed Dagu chicken (primarily distributed in Zhuanghe, Dalian, Liaoning Province, China) has garnered significant attention due to its superior egg and meat quality characteristics. To promote sustainable development in poultry farming, this study investigated the effects of two natural feed additives—a composite of oregano essential oil and lauric acid (OEA) and a compound enzyme preparation (CEP)—on the health and production performance of Dagu breeder hens. The trial divided 288 thirty-eight-week-old Dagu chickens into four groups, feeding them either a basal diet or diets supplemented with OEA and CEP individually or in combination for 40 days. The results demonstrated that the combined use of OEA and CEP not only improved egg production efficiency and egg quality but also enhanced overall flock health by boosting antioxidant capacity, immune function, and digestive performance. These findings provide the poultry industry with a natural and sustainable nutritional regulation strategy, which can improve production efficiency while reducing antibiotic use, offering significant potential for industrial application.