The effect of maternal vitamin D source on broiler hatching egg quality, hatchability, and progeny bone mineral density and performance

Vitamin D is involved in calcium metabolism as well as bone and shell quality, and is therefore important to broiler breeders. In this research we investigated the effects of maternal dietary 25-OH vitamin D-3 on broiler breeder egg quality and hatchability, as well as on progeny bone mineral density and performance. In a field study, all hens were fed 3,000 IU of vitamin D-3 (D) per kilogram of complete feed; in addition half of the hens also received 34.5 mu g of 25-OH vitamin D-3 per liter in the drinking water (25OHD). Eggs from each treatment group were incubated and hatched; chicks were fed a common diet and grown to 41 d of age. Eggs from hens in the 25OHD treatment had a nearly 30% reduction in early embryo mortality. However, a larger egg size resulted in greater chick BW for the D chicks, although this did not affect broiler production performance. Broilers from the maternal 25OHD treatment had a lower FCR during the grower phase. Unexpectedly, chick plasma 25-OH vitamin D-3 was only greater for the maternal 25OHD treatment at 4 d of age, but not at hatch, 2, 6, 8, 10, 12, or 14 d of age. Maternal vitamin D-3 source did not affect progeny 41-d bone mineral density. Maternal 25-OH vitamin D-3 had a protective effect on the growing embryo, reducing early embryonic mortality, with minimal effects on progeny performance and bone mineral density to processing at 41 d of age. The previously reported effects of 25-OH vitamin D-3 on increasing broiler performance and breast yield seem to be dependent on supplementation of the broiler diet; a carry-over effect of maternal supplementation is insufficient to achieve these effects.