Impact of Treating Hatching Eggs with Curcumin after Exposure to Thermal Stress on Embryonic Development, Hatchability, Physiological Body Reactions, and Hormonal Profiles of Dokki-4 Chickens

Abstract

This study evaluated the impact of incubation temperature and spraying hatching eggs with curcumin during the early embryogenesis phase on chick embryo developments, hatchability, physiological body reactions, and hormonal profiles of Dokki 4 chickens. A total of 720 fertile eggs were equally distributed into two groups. In the first group, the eggs were incubated at normal incubation temperature/NIT (37.8 °C and 55–60% RH) for up to 19 days of incubation, whereas those in the second group were incubated in the same conditions except from 6 to 8 day, in which they were daily exposed to chronic incubation temperature/CIT (39.0 °C) for 3 h. Each group was classified into four curcumin treatment doses; the 1st treatment (control) was sprayed with distilled water, while the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th treatments were sprayed with 250, 500, and 1000 mg curcumin/liter distilled water. The results indicated that the lowest hatchability of fertile eggs (%) was obtained in the CIT group (p = 0.02), whereas the highest body surface temperature/BST compared in the NIT group (p = 0.01). Regarding curcumin treatments, the percentages of heart, gizzard, spleen, and T3 hormone levels in the treated group were significantly increased, while the H/L ratio was significantly reduced (p = 0.001) compared with the control. At 8 weeks of age, the testes and ovary percentages in treated groups were significantly (p = 0.05) increased compared with the control. In conclusion, exposure of hatching eggs to high thermal stress (39 °C) during the incubation phase had deleterious effects on chick performance and T3 hormone level. Moreover, spraying hatching eggs had beneficial impacts on growth, reproductive organs, T3 hormone level, and reducing H/L ratio.

Juvenile growth, thermotolerance and gut histomorphology of broiler chickens fed Curcuma longa under hot-humid environments

“…However, the higher plasma triiodothyronine recorded in the birds fed Curcuma longa in this present study depicts a better thermotolerance by the birds, suggesting the beneficial effect of the bioactive compounds of Curcuma longa . Consistent with our result [ 75 ], demonstrated chicks from hatching eggs sprayed with curcumin had higher plasma triiodothyronine.…”

“…The decrease in the MDA of birds of EG compared to the control birds in the present study suggests that curcumin, the bioactive compound in the Curcuma longa , was beneficial to the birds in attenuating the adverse effect of the thermal challenge to the birds were subjected. This observation is in harmony with the observation of [ 75 ], who demonstrated that chicks from the hatching eggs treated with curcumin had improved MDA levels. Additionally [ 76 , 77 ], reported that oxidant damage induced by thermal challenge was attenuated by curcumin.…”

Parental behavior and newborn attachment in birds: life history traits and endocrine responses

“…Studies demonstrated that high temperatures are associated with low growth rates of nestling due to the altered foraging behavior of parents ( van de Ven et al, 2020 ). Likewise, during embryogenesis, daily exposure to 39°C during incubation retards organogenesis and affects chick performance in Dokki chickens ( Abuoghaba et al, 2021 ). Additionally, locomotor behavior in bobwhite quail hatchlings is also altered when exposed to a temperature of 38.1°C during early incubation, delaying bone growth, reducing body mass, and altering the structure of intertarsal joints ( Belnap et al, 2019 ).…”

Morphological features of the cuticle of hatching eggs of chickens and turkeys subjected to pre-incubation treatment

“…It should be noted that the treatment of hatching eggs with acids and oxidants has the purpose, in addition to exerting biocidal effects on harmful pathogens, of stimulating the metabolic rate of the developing embryo by improving transshell active and passive (diffusion) gas transport, first of all, oxygen, water vapor and carbon dioxide, which leads to significant increase in such an important indicator of incubation success as egg hatchability, which in turn increases the yield of healthy young birds (Breslavets et al, 2006). Both chemicals and physical factors have been successfully used for such stimulation (Wlazlo et al, 2020;Abuoghaba et al, 2021). Such modifications of commonly used poultry egg incubation technologies are used primarily for incubating eggs of bird breeds and crosses that have a naturally low hatchability rate, such as meat chicken breeds, or for farms that, due to force majeure, cannot ensure that poultry are kept in conditions for preserving hatching eggs which are in accordance with established standards.…”