The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of yeast culture (YC) on performance and egg quality of laying hens. One thousand six hundred and fifty-six Hyline laying hens at 150 days of age were fed a corn-soybean-miscellaneous meal diet supplemented with 0, 0.1%, 0.2% and 0.3% of YC. Egg production rate, average egg weight, average daily feed intake, rate of death and cull, ratio of feed to egg, and egg Haugh unit, shell thickness, shell weight, shell strength and yolk color were measured. The trial lasted for 20 weeks. In comparison with the control group, dietary supplementation of 0.1%, 0.2% and 0.3% YC, improved the ratio of feed to egg of laying hens at 1-20 week by 2.15%, 3.36% and 2.10% (P<0.10, P<0.10, P<0.10), respectively; egg production rate of laying hens at 1-20 week was increased 1.25, 0.94 and 1.36 percentage points (P>0.10, P>0.10, P<0.10),respectively; the time of egg production rate higher than 90%, extended 2.2, 2.3 and 2.8 weeks (P>0.10, P>0.10, P<0.10),respectively; rate of death and cull was decreased 2.17, 0.73 and 1.45 percentage points (P>0.10, P>0.10, P>0.10),respectively. The decrease of egg production rate was alleviated in the YC groups during heat stress. YC improved yolk color of the eggs laid by laying hens at the 20th week (P<0.10), and had no significant effects on egg Haugh unit, shell thickness, shell weight, shell strength and body weight gain (P>0.10). The main conclusions could be drawn from this study, dietary supplementation of YC improved ratio of feed to egg, increased average egg weight and egg production rate, extended the time of peak production, and reduced rate of death and cull. Under the present situation, 0.2% YC group had better average egg weight, average daily feed intake and ratio of feed to egg.［Chinese Journal of Animal Nutrition, 2010，22（2）:365-371］