The effects of in ovo injected vitamin D3 sources on the eggshell temperature and early posthatch performance of Ross 708 broilers, ,

Abstract

The effects of in ovo injected vitamin D 3 source on eggshell temperature ( ET ) and performance of broilers through 14 D of age ( doa ) were investigated. Eggs from a 35-wk-old commercial Ross 708 broiler breeder flock were set in a single-stage incubator with 4 treatments representing each of 12 incubator tray levels (blocks). At 432 h of incubation ( hoi ), noninjected and diluent-injected (50 μL) groups were control treatment groups. Vitamin treatments in the commercial diluent were as follows: 2.4 μg of vitamin D 3 ( D 3 ) or 25-hydroxylcholecalciferol ( 25OHD 3 ). After injection, ET readings were recorded (435, 441, 453, 459, and 465 hoi) by infrared thermometry. Hatchability, hatchling BW, and percentage of male and female hatchlings were determined at 502 hoi. Equal numbers of male and female chicks were placed in each pen and grown out for 14 doa. On a per-pen basis, BW was recorded after hatching at day 7 and 14 doa, and BW gain, average daily BW gain, feed intake ( FI ), and feed conversion ratio ( FCR ) were calculated between 0 to 14 doa. The ET of eggs significantly fluctuated during the postinjection time period; however, the type of vitamin D 3 source injected did not affect ET. Nevertheless, the injection of 25OHD 3 resulted in a lower late embryo mortality than the diluent and D 3 injection treatments. In addition, birds that received 25OHD 3 had a lower FI and FCR than birds in all other treatments. In conclusion, the in ovo injection of 25OHD 3 has the potential to improve early posthatch broiler performance without affecting ET.

Improvement in the performance and inflammatory reaction of Ross 708 broilers in response to the in ovo injection of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3

“…There are also several possible reasons for the contrast in the hatch results between this study and that of Bello et al. (2013) and Fatemi et al. (2020a) .…”

“…The in ovo injection of D 3 (0.2 μg) in the amniotic fluid at 12 doi has been shown to increase the concentrations of Ca and P in the yolk and the bodily tissues of embryos at 17 doi ( Mansour et al., 2017 ). More recently, the in ovo injection of 25OHD 3 at 18 doi has been shown to increase broiler hatchability ( Bello et al., 2013 ) and to reduce the mortality of broilers embryos ( Fatemi et al., 2020a ).…”

“…Prespecified treatments were 1) non-injected (control); or a 50-μL solution volume of the 2) diluent (commercial diluent; control); 3) D 3 (commercial diluent containing 2.4-μg D 3 ); 4) 25OHD 3 (commercial diluent containing 2.4-μg 25OHD 3 ); and 5) D 3 + 25OHD 3 (commercial diluent containing 2.4 μg of D 3 and 25OHD 3 ). The form and source of D 3 and 25OHD 3 used in this study were the same as those used by Fatemi et al. (2020a , b) .…”

“…(2020a , b) . All in ovo injection solutions were also prepared and injected according to the procedures of Fatemi et al., 2020a , Fatemi et al., 2020b .…”

“…The in ovo injection of D 3 has been shown to increase the concentrations of Ca and phosphorous in the yolk and of embryos at 17 doi. In addition, in ovo injection of 2.4 μg of 25OHD 3 has been shown to increase embryonic serum 25OHD 3 concentrations ( Fatemi et al., 2020b ), decrease embryonic mortality, and improve early posthatch broiler performance when compared with the in ovo injection of diluent with or without 2.4 μg of D 3 ( Fatemi et al., 2020a ). However, the long-term effects of the in ovo injection of individual or combined sources of D 3 on the breast meat yield and immunity of broilers have not been previously reported.…”