An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of level and chemical form of dietary vitamin E on alpha-tocopherol status of poults. The effects of a dietary bile salt and an antioxidant on concentrations of alpha-tocopherol in serum and liver were also tested. Six dietary treatments were obtained by supplementing a corn-soybean meal diet with 12 IU of DL-alpha-tocopheryl acetate (TA)/kg (LE), 12 IU of TA plus 800 mg of sodium taurocholate/kg (LB), 12 IU of TA plus 500 mg of ethoxyquin/kg (LS), 12 IU of D-alpha-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1,000 succinate (TPGS)/kg (LT), 100 IU of TA/kg (HE), and 100 IU of TPGS/kg (HT). Growth rate and feed efficiency of poults were unaffected (P > .05) by dietary treatments. The HE diet increased alpha-tocopherol in liver (P < .01) at 14 and 21 days of age. Liver and serum alpha-tocopherol concentrations were unaffected by dietary TPGS (LT and HT diets) at any age. Serum alpha-tocopherol concentration was unaffected by dietary treatments at 5 days of age. The HE diet, however, increased (P < .01) serum alpha-tocopherol at 9, 14, and 21 days of age. Age-related changes in alpha-tocopherol concentration were observed. Both liver and serum alpha-tocopherol decreased markedly from 1 to 14 days of age. The HE diet only partly alleviated the reduction of alpha-tocopherol in liver and serum. The water-soluble form of vitamin E, TPGS, dietary sodium taurocholate, or dietary ethoxyquin, did not prevent the marked decline in alpha-tocopherol concentration of liver and serum during the 21-day experiment.

An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of two early nutrient restriction programs on performance, selected characteristics of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), and activities of digestive enzymes of broiler chickens. Three hundred and sixty male broiler (Ross x Ross) chicks kept in floor pens were assigned to three groups. The control group (C) was given ad libitum access to feed from 1 to 48 d of age. Another group was restricted from 11 to 14 d (R4) of age to an energy intake of .74 x BW.67 kcal ME/d, and a third group was restricted from 7 to 14 d (R7) of age to an energy intake of 1.5 x BW.67 kcal ME/d. Then, both restricted groups were given ad libitum access to feed through 48 d. Body weight and feed intake were determined weekly and selected carcass characteristics were measured at 48 d of age. Broilers also were sampled at 7, 14, 21, and 42 d of age to obtain data on components of the GIT (proventriculus, gizzard, pancreas, and small intestine) and activities of selected digestive enzymes. Feed-restricted groups were lighter in body weight (P < .01) at 14 and 48 d of age than the C group but were superior in overall feed efficiency. No treatment effects were observed for percentage yields of breast meat and abdominal fat pad. Absolute weights of GIT components were significantly reduced at 14 d of age by feed restriction. However, GIT components increased in weight more quickly after refeeding than did the whole body. Restricted groups had reduced (P < .01) specific activities of jejunal alkaline phosphatase and pancreatic trypsin, amylase, and lipase as compared with the C group at 14 d of age but not at 21 and 42 d of age. Relative activities for jejunal maltase and sucrase were greater (P < .01) at 21 d of age in the R4 and R7 groups than in the C group. The present data show that feed restriction results in transient changes in organs and activities of digestive enzymes, suggesting a functional adaptation to feed restriction.

An experiment was conducted to determine the influence of supplemental dietary fat on alpha-tocopherol (TOC) stored in the livers of young turkeys during the first 21 d after hatching. The four dietary treatments were obtained by supplementing a corn-soybean meal diet with 8% sucrose (SUC), 8% animal-vegetable fat (AVF), 8% tallow (TAL), or 8% coconut oil (COC). All diets were supplemented with 12 IU of dl-alpha-tocopheryl acetate (vitamin E)/kg of diet. Body weight at 21 d of age was not affected by dietary fat, whereas feed efficiency was improved (P < .05) by added fat, irrespective of source. Liver TOC (micrograms per gram of liver and micrograms per total liver weight) decreased markedly between 1 to 14 d of age, irrespective of fat source. Average TOC concentration in liver was 78.9 micrograms/g at 1 d, but was only .5 microgram/g at 14 d. Between 14 and 21 d of age, total liver TOC increased slightly in all treatment groups. No diet effect was observed on the liver TOC concentration until 21 d of age. At this time, poults fed TAL had less (P < .05) TOC in liver than those fed COC and AVF. The data show that neither the presence of supplemental dietary fat nor fat source changed the pattern of marked decrease in liver TOC during the first 14 d after hatching.

An experiment was conducted to compare the efficacy of two dietary sources and an injectable form of vitamin E (VE) to improve the VE status of poults. Six of the treatments consisted of a factorial arrangement of three concentrations and two sources of dietary VE. Turkeys in these treatments received 12, 80, or 150 IU of either dl-alpha-tocopheryl acetate or d-alpha-tocopherol (d-alpha-TOC)/kg of diet. The seventh treatment consisted of a single subcutaneous injection of d-alpha-TOC at 1 d of age. Poults in this treatment were subcutaneously injected in the dorsal area of the neck with 25 IU of d-alpha-TOC, this amount being approximately equivalent to the amount poults would consume if their diet was supplemented with 150 IU of VE/kg during their 1st wk of life. Concentration, source, or route of VE administration did not affect growth parameters, plasma creatine kinase, plasma triglycerides, or liver lipid peroxidation as measured by the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances assay (TBARS). Plasma, red blood cells (RBC), and liver alpha-TOC decreased from hatching to 14 d of age in poults fed either source of VE. The use of 80 or 150 IU of dietary VE (either source) reduced (P < 0.05) the extent of depletion of alpha-TOC at all ages and also reduced the susceptibility of RBC to hemolysis. There was no effect of source of dietary VE on concentration of alpha-TOC in plasma, RBC, or liver, or on RBC hemolysis. Subcutaneous injection of 25 IU of d-alpha-TOC at Day 1 increased (P < 0.05) alpha-TOC concentration until 7 d of age. Also, d-alpha-TOC injection reduced (P < 0.05) RBC susceptibility to hemolysis through 21 d of age. Data showed that one single subcutaneous injection of 25 IU of d-alpha-TOC at 1 d of age was as effective as 80 IU or more of dietary VE through 21 d to improve the alpha-TOC status of poults.

Two experiments were conducted to document the effects of an early immunologic stress and changes in dietary ME(n) on growth and nutrient utilization of newly hatched turkeys. Treatments in both experiments consisted of a complete factorial arrangement of two types of injection and four isonitrogenous diets. Turkeys were injected i.p. with saline (SAL) or a solution of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (100 micrograms LPS/mL SAL) at 1, 3, and 5 d of age. In Experiment 1, two diets were formulated to contain 2,800 kcal ME(n)/kg. One was a corn-soybean meal-based diet (CSBM) and the other contained 8% Solkafloc (SKF). A third diet (3,100 kcal ME(n)/kg) was formulated by substituting 8% sucrose (SUC) for the 8% SKF. The fourth diet included in Experiment 1 was formulated to contain 3,700 kcal ME(n)/kg. The CSBM and SUC diets were also included in Experiment 2. Two additional diets tested in Experiment 2 were the CSBM diet containing 74.5 mg ibuprofen/kg (IBU) and a corn-soybean meal-based diet with a ME(n) value of 3,100 kcal/kg (CS31). Injection with LPS reduced (P < .05) BW of turkeys throughout Experiment 1 and until 9 d of age in Experiment 2, as compared with injection with SAL, irrespective of dietary treatment. The reduction in BW was mainly due to a decrease in feed intake (FI) (P < .05). Turkeys fed diets with 3,100 kcal ME(n)/kg were heavier (P < .05) than those fed diets with 2,800 kcal ME(n)/kg, irrespective of injection. Inclusion of ibuprofen to the CSBM diet from 1 to 14 d improved (P < .05) BW and feed efficiency (P < .01) of turkeys at 14 d of age, compared with turkeys fed the CSBM diet. Determined ME(n) was not affected by LPS injection. Adverse effects of LPS injection on growth of turkey poults were mainly the consequence of a reduced FI and not of altered nutrient utilization. These effects were not fully alleviated by feeding a diet with 3,100 kcal ME(n)/kg.