Effect of dosage and application mode of l-carnitine on plasma lipid and egg-yolk cholesterol of turkeys, hatchability of eggs and post-hatch growth of their offsprings.

The effect of dosage and application mode of l-carnitine on plasma lipid and egg-yolk cholesterol of breeder turkeys, hatchability of eggs and post-hatch growth response was investigated using 180 breeder hens. The hens were assigned to six dietary treatments in a 2 × 3 factorial arrangements of two application modes of l-carnitine (diet and drinking water) supplemented at 0, 50 and 100 ppm (mg/kg or mg/l) levels, respectively. Each treatment was replicated five times with six hens per replicate. Dietary inclusion of 50 ppm l-carnitine showed the lowest (p < 0.01) plasma total cholesterol ( TC) and low-density lipoprotein concentration ( LDL). Breeder hens offered 50 ppm l-carnitine with no regard to application mode recorded the highest (p < 0.01) plasma high-density lipoprotein ( HDL). Hens offered 50 and 100 ppm l-carnitine irrespective of application mode also showed reduced (p < 0.01) egg-yolk TC concentration at 32 weeks of age. Dietary supplementation of 50 ppm l-carnitine for breeder turkeys recorded the lowest (p < 0.01) egg-yolk triglyceride ( TG) at 40 weeks of age. Hens offered 50 ppm l-carnitine irrespective of application mode recorded the highest (p < 0.05) hen-day egg production. Incidence of dead-in-shell also reduced (p < 0.05) with increasing dosage of l-carnitine. Dietary supplementation of 50 ppm and oral application in drinking water of 100 ppm l-carnitine for breeder turkeys resulted in highest (p < 0.05) egg fertility. Offsprings from breeder hens fed diets supplemented with l-carnitine recorded no post-hatch mortality. Highest (p < 0.05) post-hatch final live weight and weight gain was obtained with poults obtained from hens fed diet supplemented with 50 ppm l-carnitine. In conclusion, dietary supplementation of 50 ppm l-carnitine for turkey hens showed improved serum lipid profile, egg fertility, reduced dead-in-shell, egg-yolk cholesterol and resulted in improved post-hatch growth performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]