Effects of supplemental vitamin E during the mature period on the reproduction performance of Taiwan Native Chicken cockerels

Abstract

One-day-old Taiwan native male chicks were fed with maize-soybean rearing diets without supplemental vitamin E to 23 weeks of age. From 23 to 52 weeks of age, the cockerels (n = 90) were assigned at random to 5 dietary treatments and fed with maize-soybean diets supplemented with 0, 20, 40, 80 and 160 mg/kg of vitamin E (dl-alpha-tocopherol acetate). Pullets (225) of the same age were fed with standard diets throughout. They were artificially inseminated with one dose of 0.04 ml/bird intact and 5-fold diluted pooled semen at 31 to 43 weeks of age and at 49 weeks of age, respectively. The criteria evaluated included: semen quality, fertility and maximum and effective duration of fertility, blood characteristics, body and testes weight. Supplemental vitamin E did not affect cockerels' effective duration of fertility and percentage of fertility. However, when pullets were inseminated with diluted semen, supplementing 160 mg/kg vitamin E increased the maximum duration of fertility at 49 weeks of age. Cockerels receiving 40 to 160mg/kg supplements had higher sperm viability and motility after 39 weeks of age and those fed 80 mg/kg had higher sperm concentration at 39 weeks of age. Cockerels receiving supplements of more than 40 mg/kg vitamin E had higher body weight gain. Plasma cholesterol and testosterone were not affected by supplemental vitamin E. However, plasma luteinising hormone (LH) concentration was lower in cockerels fed 160 mg/kg. Lack of supplemental vitamin E over 39 weeks was associated with lower semen quality but did not reduce the proportion of fertile eggs laid by inseminated hens, perhaps because the insemination dose compensated for low sperm quality. We found that the maximum duration of fertility might be improved by supplementing 160 mg/kg vitamin E at 49 weeks of age.

Effect of Vitamin E on the Development of Testis in Sheep

“…The spermatogenic cell is the sum of spermatogenous cell, spermatocyte, spermatoblast and sperm male germ cells may be susceptible to oxidative stress because of high concentrations of PUFAs and low antioxidant capacity (Vernet et al, 2004). It is reported that dietary deficiencies of VE in growing males causes degenerative spermatogonium, resulting in a lower sperm concentration (Cooper et al, 1987;Lin et al, 2005). In this study, the density of spermatogenic cell in VE supplemented groups increased, that in Group 2 (200 IU sheep -1 d -1 ) was significantly higher than in Control (P<0.05).…”

Role of Vitamin E in Counteracting Oxidative Stress in Poultry

“…Depending upon dietary supplementation the concentration of vitamin E in chicken semen varies from 0.46 μg/ml (no vitamin E supplementation) up to 1.04 μg/ml (vitamin E supplementation -200 mg/kg) as reported by Surai et al (1997).Vitamin E effectively scavenges free radicals producing stable ROOH groups. An increased level of vitamin E (160 mg/kg) in the chicken spermatozoa has been associated with a reduction in susceptibility to Fe +2 -induced lipid peroxidation (Lin et al, 2005).…”

Supplementation of broiler breeders with fat sources and vitamin e: carry over effect on performance, carcass yield, and meat quality offspring

“…Vitamin E is effectively transferred from the ration that is provided to breeders to the egg yolk (Lin et al, 2005;Vieira, 2007), indicating that supplementation in the rations of breeders increases the concentration of vitamin E in egg yolks and consequently in the tissues of chicks, which can reduce their susceptibility to lipid peroxidation. However, tissues could represent a limitation in the capacity of vitamin E storage, and the excess could be excreted (Kayden and Traber, 1993).…”