Evaluation of egg injection of folic acid and effect of supplemental folic acid on hatchability and poult weight
1993
Robel, E.J.
Two experiments were conducted with Large White turkey hens housed individually in cages in a conventional house. In Experiment 1, three dietary treatments were used: an unsupplemented practical corn-soybean meal basal diet; the basal diet supplemented with 2.64 mg folic acid/kg of diet; and the basal diet supplemented with 5.51 mg folic acid/kg of diet. Eggs from hens fed 2.64 mg folic acid/kg of diet were injected with folic acid in 20 injection trials over two production cycles. The response data from dietary supplemental folic acid were analyzed on a production period basis using all of the hens, and on a subset of hens producing eggs in each production period, for hatchability of fertile eggs and poult weight. The response patterns in each case were similar. Incremental dietary supplemental folic acid levels produced a positive linear response pattern on the transfer of folic acid in eggs, but did not result in a hatchability increase over the unsupplemented folic acid basal diet. Hatchability increase did not occur for eggs injected at 25 days of incubation with 19.3 micrograms folic acid per egg in 20 injection trials over two cycles of production. The results of the study indicate that hatchability is not increased in turkey eggs from hens fed supplemental folic acid or with egg folic acid injections. However, egg and poult weights were significantly increased (P < .05) in eggs containing 6 to 7 mg folic acid/g of dried egg, from hens fed 5.51 mg folic acid/kg of diet.
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