The Study
Effects of dietary local hemp seed meal as soybean meal alternative on productive performance, egg quality and yolk fatty acid composition of laying hens
This study shows some links between feeding hemp seed meal to chickens and changes in their eggs, like yolk color and healthy fats. But because we don’t know exactly how the study was done, we can’t say for sure that the hemp caused these changes — it just saw a pattern.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Scientists wanted to see if feeding hens hemp seed meal instead of soybean meal changes their eggs or how well they lay. They gave different groups of hens food with 0%, 4%, 8%, or 12% hemp seed meal and watched what happened over 6 weeks.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 512 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1More omega-3s in eggs are good for people’s health, but too much hemp (12%) makes hens lay fewer eggs, which is bad for farms.
- 2Hens eating 4% hemp laid more eggs and used food better.
- 3Hens eating 12% hemp laid fewer eggs.
- 4Hens eating 8% or 12% hemp had darker yolks and stronger shells.
- 5All hens eating hemp had more healthy omega-3 fats in their eggs.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Archives of Animal Nutrition
Year
2024
Authors
E. Öztürk, A. Darmawan, Şevket Özlü, S. H. Abacı
Related Content
Claims (6)
Feeding chickens more hemp seed meal—specifically 8% or 12% of their diet—might make their eggshells heavier and yolks more colorful over six weeks, compared to less hemp or none at all.
Feeding hemp seed meal to brown laying hens doesn't change how much they eat, how big their eggs are, or the quality of the eggs — even when they eat it for six weeks.
Feeding 50-week-old brown laying hens a diet with 4% hemp seed meal might help them lay more eggs and use their feed more efficiently than giving them higher amounts like 8% or 12%.
Feeding too much hemp seed meal to certain chickens might make them lay fewer eggs.
Feeding Lohmann Brown hens more hemp seed meal might make their eggs healthier by boosting good fats and improving the fat balance in the yolks over six weeks.
Even pasture-raised chickens from fancy brands usually get extra food — mostly corn and soy — that's high in omega-6 fats.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.