Increased Hatchability of Chickens against the Background of the Use of Water-Soluble Antioxidants

The use of antioxidants is an effective means of increasing egg production and hatchability of chickens. The difficulty in application is in the methods of administration of drugs to chickens. Fat-soluble antioxidants are mainly available on the market.

Aims: The aim of the study was to study the effectiveness of water-soluble antioxidants on physiological and zootechnical indicators of egg incubation and hatchability of offspring.

Methodology: The study was conducted on two groups of laying hens of Ostad, selected by random sampling of one hundred heads per group. For 41 days, the chickens of the experimental group received a basic diet enriched with dihydroetoxychine (DHE) in order to increase the antioxidant status at a dosage of 100 mg/kg of feed. Samples were taken from the axillary vein on the 25th day of application of the supplement (n=5) for physiological and biochemical studies.

Results: During the study, it was found that in the experimental group, the concentration of cholesterol in the high-density lipoprotein fraction doubled (P<0.01), and in the low-density lipoprotein fraction decreased by almost 50% (P<0.01) compared to the control. The concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) in the blood of chickens of the experimental group was 82.00% relative to that in the control, and in the egg yolk – only 37.42%. Egg production of chickens of the experimental group exceeded the control by 7.27%.

Conclusion: The totality of the information provided confirms the physiological adequacy for laying hens of the introduction of dihydroethoxychine in the specified dose.