Influence of Large Doses of Ascorbic Acid on Performance, Plasma Calcium, Bone Characteristics, and Eggshell Quality in Broilers and Leghorn Hens

Abstract

Four experiments were conducted using broilers (Experiments 1 and 2) or White Leghorn hens (Experiments 3 and 4) to determine the effects of large doses of dietary ascorbic acid on performance, plasma concentration of total and ionic calcium, bone characteristics, and eggshell quality. A total of 564 male broilers were fed diets containing ascorbic acid (ranging from 0 to 3,000 ppm) from 3 to 7 wk of age. Weight gain and feed conversion were measured, and blood plasma was analyzed for total and ionic calcium. Leg bones (femur, tibia, and metatarsus) were analyzed for bone mineral content, density, and breaking strength. In Experiments 3 and 4, a total of 484 Leghorn hens were fed diets containing ascorbic acid (ranging from 0 to 3,000 ppm) for 4 wk. Egg weight and specific gravity were determined, and plasma and tibiae were analyzed as in Experiments 1 and 2. Results of the broiler experiment (Experiment 2) indicated that plasma ionic calcium was significantly increased (P < .05) in ascorbic-acid-treated birds. Among leg bones examined, femur strength was improved by 16% in birds fed 2,000 ppm of ascorbic acid (Experiment 2). Other bone characteristics were not affected. In the layer experiments (Experiments 3 and 4), egg weight increased up to 5% and egg specific gravity was improved in hens fed 2,000 or 3,000 ppm of ascorbic acid, which also had increased calcium in the blood. Results suggest that large doses of ascorbic acid in the diet influence calcium metabolism, affecting bone and eggshell mineralization in chickens.

Effect of Organic Acids and Prebiotics on Bone Quality in Laying Hens Fed Diets with Two Levels of Calcium and Phosphorus

“…The positive effect of citric acid on the bone crude ash was also found in broilers; however, there was no influence of malic acid or fumaric acid (Liem et al 2008). Orban et al (1993) found that the addition of ascorbic acid to the broilers' diet increased the femur breaking strength. In a study on pigs, Radcliffe et al (1998) observed no effect of citric acid supplementation on bone breaking strength, but reported a tendency (P < 0.08) for a linear increase in bone ash content with an increasing content of acid in the diet.…”

Vitaminas D e C para poedeiras na fase inicial de produção de ovos

“…A porcentagem de cálcio nas cinzas foi influenciada pela fonte de vitamina D, de modo que os maiores valores foram observados com a utilização de colecalciferol. Os valores médios dos diâmetros, interno (0,50 cm) e externo (0,63 cm) das tíbias não foram influenciados pelas fontes de vitamina D e pelos níveis de vitamina C. Embora utilizando níveis de vitamina C bem superiores, Orban et al (1993) trabalharam com suplementação de vitamina C em quantidades que variaram de 1.000 a 3.000 ppm e também não observaram melhora na resistência óssea de tíbias, apesar do significativo aumento linear no conteúdo mineral ósseo e na densidade óssea.…”

Effects of graded levels of vitamin C supplemented feed of layers on serum concentrations of vitamin A and vitamin C

“…Vitamin C helps to protect phagocytic cells from oxidative damage (McDowell, 2006). Also, supplemental vitamin C could significantly reduce body temperature (Pardue et al, 1985;Orban et al, 1993). Ascorbic acid supplementation has been shown to have positive effect on mean egg production, egg weight and egg shell thickness (Khan and Sardar, 2005) and on albumen weight, egg length, yolk height and yolk weight (Fayeye et al, 2013) under elevated environmental temperature.…”

“…During stresses, either nutritional, environmental, or pathological, the inclusion of vitamin C in birds feed or drinking water appears to alleviate many of the undesirable physical consequences (Whitehead and Keller, 2003;Roussan et al, 2008). Several researchers reported improvement in egg production (Haazele et al, 1991;Fayeye et al, 2013), egg quality (Bell and Marion, 1990), albumen weight (Cheng et al, 1990;Fayeye et al, 2013), egg weight (Elboushy and Van Albada, 1970) and reduction in body temperature (Pardue et al, 1985;Orban et al, 1993) due to supplementing the layers diet with vitamin C under high environmental temperatures. There are reports that 200ppm vitamin C supplementation in feed of poultry raised under heat stress causes significant improvements in live performance, digestibility of nutrients and immune response of the birds (Sahin and Kucuk, 2001;Lohakare et al, 2005).…”