Using in-ovo injection of olive pulp extract and vitamin C to improve hatchability, post hatch growth performance, carcass traits and some biochemical blood analysis in broiler chickens

Abstract

A total of 630 fresh hatching eggs containing live embryo at 14 day of incubation were distributed randomly into seven treatment groups (three replicates/treatment, 30eggs/each) and the fertile eggs were injected in the yolk sac as following groups: eggs were un –injected (T1), eggs were injected with hole only as negative control (T2), eggs were injected with distilled water as positive control (T3), eggs were injected with OPE at 500 and 1000ppm/egg, T4 and T5), while eggs were injected with Vit C at 4 and 8mg/egg (T6 and T7) respectively. The newly hatched chicks resulting from previous treatments were raised till 5 weeks old. Results showed that hatchability %, hatched chicks weight significantly improved for OPE (1000ppm/egg, T5) compared with vitamin C groups. However, performance of chicks resulting from injected eggs with (8 mg/egg, Vit C, T7) showed significantly (P≤0.001) increase in body weight (bwt), body weight gain (bwt) and feed intake than control groups. Measurements of carcass traits of OPE (1000ppm/egg) showed significant improvement in dressing weight when compared to those all injected control groups. Birds resulting from injected eggs with vit C treatments having higher plasma total protein and globulin level compared to others in non-injected control group. Additionally, in-ovo OPE (1000ppm/egg) injection resulted in boosted plasma antioxidants enzymes activities and significantly increased plasmaT4 concentrations compared with different control groups. In conclusion, in-ovo injection at day14 of incubation with either of OPE or vitamin C has positive effect on hatchability %, chick performance, dressing weight and anti-oxidative status of hatched chicks. Hence, in-ovo injection with OPE (1000ppm/egg) at14th day of incubation could be recommended for improving chick’s health.