Effect of Dietary L- Carnitine Supplementation on Characteristics of Cobb's Semen

Good semen quality plays a very important role in promoting poultry breeding programs; due to its antioxidant properties and role in fat metabolism, L-carnitine seems to be effective in improving semen quality. Therefore, this study was performed to evaluate the effect of dietary L-carnitine supplementation on the motility parameters and qualitative traits in semen Cobb breed roosters. A total of twenty roosters, 24 weeks-old Cobb roosters randomly assigned to four experimental groups. The experimental design was conducted in a completely randomized design with 4 experimental treatments (T1: 0, T2: 125, T3: 250, and T4: 500 mg L-carnitine per kg diet) with 5 replications and sampling twice (semen collection) with an interval of 14 days. The collected semen was immediately evaluated for motility parameters and sperm quality traits. The results showed that there is no significant difference between the levels of 250 and 500 mg of L-carnitine in semen parameters, but there are significant differences with other groups (P <= 0.05). Semen collection time did not affect sperm parameters (P <= 0.05). In conclusion, the addition of L-carnitine at a rate of 250 mg/kg diet can improve motility parameters and sperm quality traits in the Cobb rooster.