Effects of feeding ISA brown and Shaver white layer breeders with sources of n-3 fatty acids on hatching egg profiles, apparent embryonic uptake of egg components, and body composition of day-old chicks

Abstract

Effects of feeding ISA brown and Shaver white breeders sources of n-3 fatty acids (FA) on egg components, apparent embryonic utilization (AEU) of egg components, and hatching body composition were examined. A total of 240 female and 30 male per each strain were fed either: 1) Control (CON), 2) CON + 1 % of dried microalgae (DMA), as a source of docosahexaenoic acid or 3) CON + 2.60 % of dry extruded product consisting of full-fat flaxseed (FFF), as a source of α-linoleic acid for 30 days. Eggs were incubated, and the residual yolks (RY) sampled at hatch (DOH) for AEU of dry matter (DM), minerals, and organic matter (OM). Feeding n-3 FA sources reduced the AEU of OM and minerals resulting in a higher ratio of RY to body weight (P = 0.002). Feeding FFF increased body fat and decreased lean in Shaver white hatchlings compared with CON (P < 0.05). The body mineral was reduced by feeding DMA compared to other treatments (P < 0.05). The change in body composition in response to feeding of n-3 sources was associated with the change in AEU of DM, OM, and minerals, not the concentration of these components in the yolk.

Feeding flaxseed to chicken hens changes the size and fatty acid composition of their chicks’ brains

“…The layer breeder diets in our study may not have resulted in a large enough difference in the yolk fatty acid ratios to yield differences in brain size between the flaxseed fed (n-6-to-n-3 FA ratio of 5.31:1) and control fed (n-6-to-n-3 FA ratio of 14.71:1) breeders. Using diets identical to those fed in the study reported here, Akbari Moghaddam Kakhki and Kiarie (2021) reported that ISA Brown breeders fed flaxseed produced eggs with an n-6-to-n-3 FA ratio of 3.42:1 compared with those fed the control diet producing eggs with a ratio of 5.23:1. Similarly, the Shaver White breeders fed flaxseed in that experiment produced eggs with an n-6-to-n-3 FA ratio of 2.64:1 compared to those fed the control diet producing eggs with a ratio of 3.40:1 ( Akbari Moghaddam Kakhki and Kiarie, 2021 ).…”

“…Using diets identical to those fed in the study reported here, Akbari Moghaddam Kakhki and Kiarie (2021) reported that ISA Brown breeders fed flaxseed produced eggs with an n-6-to-n-3 FA ratio of 3.42:1 compared with those fed the control diet producing eggs with a ratio of 5.23:1. Similarly, the Shaver White breeders fed flaxseed in that experiment produced eggs with an n-6-to-n-3 FA ratio of 2.64:1 compared to those fed the control diet producing eggs with a ratio of 3.40:1 ( Akbari Moghaddam Kakhki and Kiarie, 2021 ). However, the layer offspring from mothers fed flaxseed did have an altered brain n-6:n-3 FA ratio, which was not observed in the broilers.…”

“…Extensive fatty acid analyses of eggs from broiler breeders and layer breeders of the same strains and fed the same product and identical diet formulations as in the current study have been previously reported ( Akbari Moghaddam Kakhki and Kiarie, 2021 ; Thanabalan, 2023 ).…”

“…However, the layer offspring from mothers fed flaxseed did have an altered brain n-6:n-3 FA ratio, which was not observed in the broilers. Strain differences in the amount of n-3 FA deposited in the egg and embryo uptake and utilization of n-3 FAs have been found, with Shaver White embryos performing better than ISA Brown embryos ( Akbari Moghaddam Kakhki and Kiarie, 2021 ). In this study, we also found that the maternal flaxseed diet tended to have an effect on the brain n-6:n-3 FA ratio between ISA Brown and Shaver White offspring.…”

“…Extensive analyses of broiler and layer breeder egg yolks conducted by Akbari Moghaddam Kakhki and Kiarie (2021 ) and Thanabalan (2023) , respectively, showed that diet formulations enriched with flaxseed fed to the broiler and layer breeders altered yolk fatty acid profiles. More specifically, the same flaxseed diet fed to the same strain of broiler breeders at an identical n-6-to-n-3 FA ratio as in our study (4.17:1) resulted in a yolk ratio of 4.86:1 in the egg, compared with the control diet (26:1) resulting in a ratio of 15.6:1 in the egg ( Thanabalan, 2023 ).…”