Dietary supplementation and in ovo injection of 1α-OHD3 in a low-calcium and low-phosphorous diets for broilers

Abstract

Three hundred and twenty day-old chicks were assigned to four experimental treatments of positive control (standard diets with recommended levels of calcium and phosphorus), negative control (diets containing calcium and phosphorus at the 50% of recommended levels), Negative control plus in ovo injection of 1α-OHD3 (50 ng/egg 1α-OHD3 on day 18 of incubation), and negative control plus feeding of 1α-OHD3 (5 µg/kg of diet). Four replications assigned for each treatment with 20 birds per each. Diets consisted of a starter phase from 0 to 14 days and a grower phase from 15 to 28 days. At 28 days, feed intake (FI), body weight gain (BWG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were determined. Two birds per pen were killed to evaluate the carcass and tibia traits. No differences in FI, FCR, carcass traits, tibia weight and length, ash, Ca, P and Seedor index were observed at 28 days of age. Supplementation of dietary 1α-OHD3 significantly increased BWG in compare to negative control. Between treatments, negative control had lowest breaking strength. The current study indicated that supplementation of dietary 5 µg/kg of 1α-OHD3 may improve performance and tibia strength of broilers fed low-calcium and low-phosphorus diets.