The ability of lycopene and astaxanthin to accumulate in chicken egg yolks and give those functional properties and color has been provening in many research, but their effect on blood morphology, metabolism, functional status of the immune system, and the quality and biological value of edible chicken eggs has not studied sufficiently. Moreover, the covered information contains many contradictory facts, especially in terms of dosage of additives, duration of their use and impact on various metabolic and specific immunity of chickens, quality and safety of eggs. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to determine the clinical condition, hematological profile, metabolism, specific immunity, as well as the quality and biological value of edible eggs with the use of laying hens oil supplements of lycopene (20, 40 and 60 mg/kg of feed) or astaxanthin (10, 20 and 30 mg/kg of feed) in increasing doses (each for 30 days). Laying hens of the control group were feeding the main diet to which was introduced refined sunflower oil, the amount of which was equivalent in the diets of hens of the experimental groups. In research used 45 High-line W36 crossbred chickens at 24 weeks of age, which were vaccinate against Newcastle disease, infectious bronchitis, avian rhinotracheitis and egg-laying syndrome according to the current vaccination program. The use of lycopene supplements at doses of 20 to 60 mg/kg or astaxanthin at doses of 10 to 30 mg/kg of compound feed did not cause changes in the clinical condition of the birds and abnormalities of behavioral reactions, as well as death of the bird during the entire experiment, which lasted 90 days. The condition of the feather cover and visible mucous membranes in hens when sing lycopene or astaxanthin supplements in the diet was typical of clinically healthy birds. The results of research show that to obtain edible chicken eggs with an attractive color of the yolks, it is advisable to use the addition of astaxanthin oil extract in doses from 10 to 20 mg/kg of feed for 30 days. This ensures the production of edible chicken eggs enriched with astaxanthin in the range from 354.7 to 534.7 μg/kg with the intensity of the color of the yolks in the range from 12.8 to 14.8 points n a 16-point color scale YolkFanTM. Additions of lycopene oil extract to the diet of laying hens in increasing doses from 20 to 60 mg/kg of feed are less effective and do not allow obtaining a color scale of egg yolks, which satisfies the dietary preferences of consumers. Therefore, the introduction of compound feed for laying hens supplements of lycopene at a dose of from 20 to 60 mg/kg of feed may be appropriate only for the enrichment of egg yolks with lycopene in the range from 113.0 to 283.7 μg/kg. Additions of astaxanthin oil extract to the diet of laying hens may be promising for use to correct the intensity of the color of egg yolks. The obtained data can used to develop a technology for the production of functional table eggs enriched with carotenoids of natural origin with an attractive color of yolks for consumers.
