The Effect of the in ovo Injection of Carbohydrates and Antioxidants into the Stored Incubating Eggs on Hatchability, Intestinal Morphology, Blood Parameters, Antioxidant Activity and Tissue Glycogen Store of Newly Hatched Chicks

The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of in ovo feeding of carbohydrates and antioxidants in the stored incubating eggs. To perform this experiment, 1200 hatching eggs from the broiler hens of Cob 500 strain were distributed after storage in two time intervals of 3 and 14 days for amniotic injection on the 17.5th embryonic day in a completely randomized design with 10 treatments and 5 iterations (each iteration with 24 eggs). The experimental treatments include: 1) negative control (without injection), 2) positive control (injection of 0.5 ml normal saline solution), 3) injection of 0.5 ml carbohydrate solution, 4) injection of 0.5 ml antioxidant solution and 5) injection of 0.5 ml of a mixture of carbohydrate and antioxidant solution. The percentage of losses in the treatments of mixed carbohydrates and antioxidants in both periods was less than the control (P<0.05). Crypt depth and length-to-width ratio of intestinal villi, as well as the glycogen in the thigh muscle of the chickens hatched from the eggs injected with carbohydrates, a mixture of carbohydrates and antioxidants during two storage periods of 3 and 14 days, had a significant improvement compared to the control (P<0.05). Blood glucose concentration of the chickens hatched from the eggs injected with carbohydrates, antioxidants, and their mixtures with 3 days of storage had a significant increase compared to the control (P<0.05). Total antioxidant capacity in the chickens hatched from the eggs injected with antioxidants and 3 days of storage had a significant increase compared to the control (P<0.05). The results show that the injection of carbohydrates, antioxidants, and a mixture of carbohydrates and antioxidants in the pre-hatching period would be effective on the stored fertile eggs.