Can feeding the broiler breeder improve chick quality and offspring performance?

Abstract

The impact of nutrition on the performance of broiler breeders in terms of bodyweight profile, egg production, egg size and shell quality, mortality, fertility and hatchability has been well documented. However, studies on the direct effects of breeder nutrition on subsequent chick quality and offspring performance are limited. The present paper reviews the nutritional factors in broiler breeders that may improve chick quality and progeny performance. Recent research has suggested that the feeding of low crude protein and medium to high energy breeder diets in both rearing and laying period will not only have a positive impact on egg production, egg size, breeder fertility, hatchability and embryonic livability, but also on offspring performance. Improvements include better chick quality, higher chick weight, lower mortality, increased immune responses, enhanced litter quality and broiler growth. Breast-meat yield in the progeny can be improved as the energy to protein ratio increases from the rearing phase to the laying phase, indicating that nutrition of pullets can also affect growth and yields. The effects of maternal diet on offspring performance may depend on the sex of the progeny, with male broilers responding more than female broilers to breeders’ dietary protein and energy concentrations. However, little work has been conducted on the effects of individual amino acids in breeder diets on the subsequent generation. There seems to be some benefits with the use of long-chain poly-unsaturated fats in breeder diets on carcass quality of offspring, but these effects appear inconsistent at this stage. There is substantial evidence that confirms the direct effects of vitamin D and E, and trace minerals, especially in organic form, such as selenium, zinc and manganese, on chick quality and progeny performance. In fact, the impact of breeder nutrition on progeny performance in the field is more likely to be greater under conditions of poor breeder-flock uniformity, low vitamin and trace mineral contents or certain types of stress in the broiler house.