Neonatal Immune Response and Growth Performance of Chicks Hatched from Single Comb White Leghorn Breeders Fed Diets Supplemented with β-Carotene, Canthaxanthin, or Lutein

Abstract

Forty Single Comb White Leghorn (SCWL) hens and 8 SCWL cocks were randomly divided into four treatment groups. Each group was fed a diet containing .02% beta-carotene, canthaxanthin, lutein, or basal control. After 20 d of feeding, eggs were collected daily from each experimental group for incubation. Two different hatches were set and chicks from each hatch were used for one of two different experiments. In both experiments, 24 chicks per treatment were vaccinated against Newcastle disease virus at 1 d of age and raised for 5 wk on a basal diet. In the second experiment, birds were revaccinated at 3 wk of age. In both experiments, at the end of 5 wk birds were killed and bursa of Fabricius, liver, and spleen were collected. For both experiments, there were no differences in antibody titers, weight gain, feed conversion ratio, and relative bursa weights of chicks. However in the second experiment, birds hatched from breeders fed lutein had significantly lower relative liver weights than chicks of the other treatments, whereas birds hatched from the breeders fed beta-carotene and canthaxanthin had significantly lower spleen weights than the control. These experiments suggest that carotenoids may not be effective in increasing neonatal immune response when they supplement practical breeder diets.

Effect of β-Carotene, Canthaxanthin, Lutein, and Vitamin E on Neonatal Immunity of Chicks When Supplemented in the Broiler Breeder Diets

“…Three weeks later, blood specimens were collected from individual birds and serum was extracted using the procedure described above and kept frozen at -20 C until used to determine antibody titers against NDV. Antibody titers were assessed by an ELISA using the Newcastle disease antibody test kit from Idexx (Miers et al 1983;Haq et al, 1995). Group body weight and feed consumption per pen were determined weekly throughout the experiment.…”

“…The serum samples were kept frozen until carotenoid concentrations and antibody titers against Newcastle disease virus (NDV) were measured. Antibody titers were assessed by an ELISA using the Newcastle disease antibody test kit from Idexx 2 (Miers et al, 1983;Haq et al, 1995). Each group was then fed experimental diets consisting of control, 0.04% /3-carotene, 0.04% canthaxanthin, 0.04% lutein, 0.03% dl-a-tocopherol acetate, and 0.04% /3-carotene plus 0.03% dl-a-tocopherol acetate.…”

“…Eggs collected at the end of the 6th wk of experimental feeding and feed samples collected at the time of feed mixing were analyzed for carotenoid, retinol, and atocopherol concentrations using HPLC as described by Haq et al (1995) with these exceptions: 1) For yolk samples, 1 g of yolk instead of feed was weighed into a 100-mL volumetric flask. 2) The photodiode array detector was set to record absorbance at 445 nm for the carotenoid, 325 nm for retinol, and 294 nm for a-tocopherol.…”

The effect of a carotenoid-rich diet on immunocompetence and behavioural performances in Moorhen chicks

“…Carotenoids in the yolk of the newly laid egg depend to a large extent on the type and quantity of carotenoids present in the mother's diet and on her metabolic efficiency (SURAI & SPEAKE 1998). There is some evidence that the eggs of poultry supplemented with carotenoid-enriched food produce chicks with increased immunocompetence (HAQ et al 1995(HAQ et al , 1996.…”

The Effects of Different Types of Antioxidants (Se, Vitamin E and Carotenoids) in Broiler Diets on the Growth Performance, Skin Pigmentation and Liver and Plasma Antioxidant Concentrations

“…Pigment supplementation has previously been reported to have no significant effect on feed intake or body weight (Fletcher et al, 1986;Haq et al 1995Haq et al , 1996Royle et al 1999;Jensen et al 1998;PerezVendrell et al, 2001;Fenoglio et al 2002;Waldenstedt et al 2003;Castañeda et al, 2005;Li et al, 2012).…”