Improvement in the performance and inflammatory reaction of Ross 708 broilers in response to the in ovo injection of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3
The effects of the in ovo administration
of vitamin D3 (D3) and its metabolite, 25-
hydroxyvitamin D3 (25OHD3), on the performance,
breast meat yield, and inflammatory responses of broilers
fed commercial diets were investigated. Live embryonated
Ross 708 broiler hatching eggs were randomly
assigned to one of the following 5 in ovo injection treatments
at 18 d of incubation: 1) noninjected; 2) diluent;
diluent containing 3) 2.4-mg D3, 4) 2.4-mg 25OHD3, or 5)
2.4-mg D3 1 2.4-mg 25OHD3. A 50-mL solution volume of
each prespecified treatment was injected into each egg
using an Inovoject multiegg injector. At hatch, 18 male
chicks were randomly assigned to each of 30 floor pens.
The BW,BWgain, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio
of the birds were determined in each dietary phase. At 14,
28, and 39 d of posthatch age (doa), plasma a-1-acid
glycoprotein (AGP) levels in 1 bird in each of 6 replicate
pens per treatment were determined at 14 and 39
doa. The pectoralis major and minor weights of those
same birds were also determined. The remaining birds
were processed at 43 doa, and the weights of their processing
parts were determined. At 39 doa, the in ovo injection
of 25OHD3 alone decreased plasma AGP
concentrations in comparison with the noninjected,
diluent, and D3-alone treatment groups. In addition,
birds that received 25OHD3 alone had a greater BW at
42 doa than birds in the noninjected, diluent, and D3-
alone treatment groups. At 39 and 43 doa, breast meat
yield was increased in response to the in ovo injection of
25OHD3 alone in comparison to all other treatments.
These results indicate that the in ovo injection of 2.4 mg
of 25OHD3 resulted in an improvement in the performance
and inflammatory responses of broilers. A reduction
in the inflammatory response subsequent to the in
ovo injection of 2.4 mg of 25OHD3 may have led to an
increase in broiler performance.
