Effect in ovo Feeding and Dietary Supplementation of L-carnitine on Growth Performance and Economics of Broilers

Abstract

The study evaluated the effects of in ovo feeding and post-hatch dietary supplementation of L-carnitine on growth performance and feed cost in broiler chickens. Five hundred fertile CARIBRO VISHAL broiler eggs were incubated, and on day 18 the viable eggs were assigned to an un-injected control, a sham control, or an in ovo L-carnitine treatment. After hatching, 270 straight-run chicks were allocated to six treatment combinations comprising the three in ovo groups and two dietary treatments, with three replicates of 15 chicks in each combination. The dietary treatments consisted of a basal diet without or with 50 mg/kg L-carnitine. Birds were reared for six weeks, and weekly body weight, body-weight gain, feed consumption, feed conversion ratio, and feed cost per kilogram of live-weight gain were evaluated. The interaction between in ovo treatment and dietary supplementation significantly affected body weight during the first and second weeks and body-weight gain during the early growth period. In ovo L-carnitine treatment significantly improved feed conversion ratio and reduced feed cost per kilogram of live-weight gain during the third week. However, these responses were not sustained throughout the six-week rearing period. Dietary L-carnitine supplementation alone did not consistently improve growth performance or economic indices. Overall, in ovo L-carnitine produced transient improvements in selected early growth and feed-efficiency measures, but no consistent advantage was evident over the complete production period.