Benefits of watermelon juice and ascorbic acid supplementation on Institut de Sélection Animale brown layers managed under hot climate

Abstract

Loss of homeostasis and poor egg production are common in laying hens during hot season. These negative effects of extreme ambient temperature have resulted in great economic losses to poultry farmers in the tropical regions. This study investigated benefits of supplementing watermelon juice (WJ) and ascorbic acid (AA) to ISA Brown (IB) hens managed under hot climate on productive performance and some hormonal responses. Ninety-six IB pullets aged 34 weeks were randomly allotted to four groups (C, T1, T2, and T3), each containing 24 in triplicates. The control group (C) was given water with neither WJ nor AA. Water given to groups T1, T2 was supplemented with 20% and 40% WJ, respectively, while T3 was supplemented with 200mg AA/litre of water. The results show a significant (P≤0.05) increase in water intake in T3 compared to other groups. Total egg production, daily egg production and hen-day egg production were significantly (P≤0.05) improved by the supplements, as total egg weights improved in T1:(272.2 ± 35.16g) and T2:(272.1 ± 35.06g) compared to C:(212.2 ± 25.06g) and T3:(238.5 ± 19.23g). The supplements caused 24.46%, 22.70% and 9.43% rise in percentage egg production in groups T1, T2, and T3 respectively. Serum corticosterone (C:10.88 ± 1.12; T1:10.20 ± 1.06; T2:9.61 ± 0.792; T3:7.23 ± 2.36ng/mL) and thyroxine levels (C:1.45 ± 0.562; T1:0.41 ± 0.109; T2:0.39 ± 0.367; T3:0.60 ± 0.489μg/dL) decreased significantly (P≤0.05) in supplemented layers, while serum prolactin and triiodothyronine differed non-statistically. In conclusion, WJ and AA supplementation ameliorated heat stress in IB layers managed under hot climate as it significantly lowered corticosterone and improved egg production. Therefore, supplementing 20%, 40%WJ or 200mg AA/litre in water is recommended for managing heat stress in IB layer chickens