Suplementation of Antibiotic Growth Promoters versus Supplementation of Functional Oils in Broiler Breeders: Performance and Offspring Effects

The effects of either functional oil or antibiotic growth promoter supplementation on broiler breeders and their offspring were assessed in 2 experiments. In Experiment I, 16,400 broiler breeders (22 weeks old) were distributed into 2 experimental groups, one supplemented with 1,500 ppm of a commercial blend of functional oils (active ingredients: cashew nutshell liquid and castor oil) and the other with 500 ppm of bacitracin methylene disalicylate (BMD). Laying rates, fertility, embryonic mortality, and egg characteristics were measured from weeks 25 to 46. In Experiment II, 720 one day old male chicks, born from 42 week old breeders, from each one of the two treatments in Experiment I, were supplemented with either 10 ppm of enramycin or 1,500 ppm of the same functional oils as in Experiment I to study whether there were any maternal diet carry-over effects. Functional oils decreased embryonic mortality from 11.01% to 9.64% (P < 0.03) when compared to BMD. However, a functional oil link increase in egg weight did not result in either heavier chicks or statistically significant better offspring performance. Nonetheless, a possible benefit of the functional oil supplementation on the offspring weight at 42 d cannot be excluded. The type of additive supplemented during Experiment II did not affect any performance parameters. In conclusion, functional oils could successfully replace antibiotic growth promoters in broiler breeders as embryonic mortality decreased. Finally, when functional oils were supplemented to the offspring, the performance was similar to that of a commonly used antibiotic growth promoter.