Effect of dietary vitamin C supplement on reproductive performance of aviary pheasants
Nowaczewski, S.(August Cieszkowski Agricultural Univ., Poznan (Poland). Dept. of Poultry Science)E-mail:[email protected] | Kontecka, H.
The effects of three doses of vitamin C (100, 200 and 300 mg/kg) added to the feed of reproductive pheasants kept in outdoor aviaries on egg production, egg fertility and hatchability were investigated. Two experiments in two consecutive years (differing in environmental temperature) were conducted. The effect of vitamin C addition was temperature dependent as it had a significant effect on the studied variables in the second year which was much warmer (25-30 deg C) than the first year. In the groups supplemented with 100 and 200 mg/kg vitamin C, significantly higher egg production and egg fertility were recorded than in controls. Higher hatchability (by about 15%), higher amount of fertilized eggs (by about 9%), smaller number of unhatched chicks and dead embryos were also observed. Our results justify the use of vitamin C supplement at 100 mg/kg feed (200 mg/kg under heat stress) in the nutrition of reproductive pheasants in aviaries.
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