This work investigated the outcomes of dietary administration of Echinacea purpurea (EP) powder to breeder ducks on productive and reproductive performance during summer season. Sudani ducks (320 birds) of 32‐weeks‐old (240 females and 80 males) were randomly allocated into four collections (body weight; 1850 ± 15.2 g for females and 2960.0 ± 40.5 g for males). The primary collection consumed the basal diet without supplementation and was deliberated as control. The other three collections were fed the basal diet supplemented with 2.5, 5.00 and 7.5 g EP/kg diet, correspondingly. Egg number and mass, laying rate, feed consumption and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were significantly changed by dietary EP levels. Drakes fed EP‐supplemented diets had higher ejaculate volume, sperms concentration and live sperms (%) as well as lower dead sperms (%) than the control group. Eggs laid by ducks fed diet supplemented with 2.5 g/kg had the greatest fertility and hatchability percentages, followed by those fed 5.0 g EP/kg. Ducks fed different EP diets had higher values of haemoglobin, RBCs, WBCs and lymphocytes, lower values of heterophils percentage and lower H/L ratio than the control. All serum constituents were significantly changed by dietary EP supplementation, except of total protein and Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) enzyme. Conclusively, dietary EP supplementation at 2.5 g/kg had beneficial effects on productive and reproductive performance as well as lipid profile and antioxidant status and economically valued in breeder ducks under summer conditions.

A total number of 300 (225 ducks and 75 drakes) Sudani ducks, 28-wk-old were divided into five groups to investigate the effects of dietary L-carnitine (LC) supplementation on productive, hatching and physiological performance as well as nutrients digestibility coefficients. The results indicated that the productive performance and Semen quality parameters (ejaculate volume, sperms concentration and advanced motility) were significantly improved by LC supplementation (150-450 mg /kg diet) as compared to the control. Hatchability of fertile eggs (%) was significantly improved, while total embryonic mortality was significantly decreased by supplementing 300 and 450 mg LC/kg diet. Supplementing different dietary LC levels resulted in significantly high values of hemoglobin, red and white blood cells count and lymphocyte (l) cells percentage, while it decreased heterophils (H) cells and H/l ratio. Serum albumin, total cholesterol and AST enzyme values were significantly low in ducks fed diets supplemented with LC. Serum triglycerides were significantly the lowest by feeding 300 and 450 mg LC/kg diet. Nutrients digestibility coefficients were significantly improved in drakes fed diet supplemented with 450 mg LC/kg diet. Conclusively, dietary lC supplementation at 300 or 450 mg/kg for duck breeders in summer could improve productive, hatching and physiological performance and nutrients digestibility coefficients.

Two hundred and eighty eight of Sudani ducklings (144 from both males and females), 4-wks-old were used, weighed and divided into six experimental groups (three replicates each) for both sexes to investigate the effect of ducklings sex and dietary L-carnitine (LC) addition(0, 150, 300, 450, 600 and 750 mg/kg diet) in a factorial design (2 × 6) on growth performance, carcass traits and quality and blood constituents as well as economic efficiency under Egyptian summer conditions. Results indicated that, live body weight (LBW), body weight gain (BWG), feed consumption (FC) and production index (PI) were significantly (P≤0.01) higher for male ducklings than female, also, feed conversion ratio (FCR) was significantly (P≤0.05) improved during the whole experimental period (4-16 wks of age). However, dietary LC addition resulted in a significant (P≤0.01) improvement in BWG, FCR and PI during the experimental period than the control group. Abdominal fat and breast and thigh yield (%) were significantly higher for female than male ducklings. Eviscerated carcass and total edible parts (%) were significantly (P≤0.01) improved by supplementing different LC levels to the diet, while abdominal fat was significantly (P≤0.01) decreased. Breast yield (%) was significantly (P≤0.05) higher by feeding 450 mg LC/kg diet, only than the control, however, thigh yield (%) was significantly(P≤0.01) improved by feeding different LC levels except of 300 mg/kg. Furthermore, muscles ether extract (EE) content was significantly higher in both breast and thigh of female's ducklings than males, while crude protein (CP) was significantly decreased for female thigh muscles. Addition different LC levels to the diet resulted in a significant improvement of CP content for both breast and thigh muscles, while EE content was significantly decreased for them. Serum total cholesterol was significantly increased for female than male ducklings, whereas, both serum triglycerides and total cholesterol constituents were significantly decreased by supplementing different LC levels to the diet than the control. Supplementing different LC levels to the diet resulted in a significant increase in lymphocytes (L) cells (%), while heterophils (H) cells (%) and H/L ratio were significantly (P≤0.01) decreased than the control group. Net return and economic efficiency were significantly lowered for female ducklings than male, however, they significantly improved for ducklings fed different LC diets than those fed the control diet. These results indicated that dietary L-carnitine additionwith150 or 300 mg/kg could be maximize and improve the growth performance and carcass traits and quality as well as economic efficiency of Sudani ducklings especially males during growth period (4-16 wks of age) under Egyptian summer conditions.

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