Effect of maternal dietary manipulation and in ovo injection of nutrients on the hatchability indices, post-hatch growth, feed consumption, feed conversion ratio and immunocompetence traits of turkey poults

Two hundred turkey breeder hens and 24 viable toms of 30-35 weeks (wk) old of small white variety were distributed into 2 treatment groups having 4 replicates First four replicates were offered diet A [National Research Council. 1994. Nutrient requirements of poultry. 8th ed. Washington, DC: National Academy Press] and other four replicates were maintained on a higher plane of nutrition - diet B for 8 wk. Five hundred and fortyeight fertile eggs on 21st embryonic day were in ovo injected with nutrients (essential amino acids - INA; linolenic acid, linoleic acid, retinol and DL-alpha-tocopherol-INFV; INA + INFV-INAFV, sham control - S and un-injected control - C). INAFV poults had significantly (P < .01) higher body weight compared to other treatment groups till 8 wk of age. Total immunoglobulins in response to 1% sheep red blood cells were significantly higher (P < .01) in the INA group compared to the C group. Cell-mediated immune response was significantly higher (P < .01) in the diet B group compared to diet A group. Thus, INAFV treatment may be carried out for better posthatch growth and breeders may be maintained on higher plane of nutrition along with INA treatment to elicit better post-hatch immunity.