A 10 wk trial was conducted to investigate the effect of using ground, sterilized eggshell as a calcium source in the diet of laying hens. Egg production, egg and eggshell quality, hatching characteristics and eggshell ultrastructure were evaluated. A total of 144 hens aged 25 wk were housed in floor pens, located in a conventional open-sided layer shed. The birds were randomly divided into thr...

The response of laying Japanese quails to dietary levels of energy and protein on performance, egg quality, hatchability, fertility and their effect on subsequent offspring live body weight was investigated. A total of 432 Japanese quails (13 weeks old) were divided into nine treatments. Each treatment comprised of four replicates of twelve birds (9 females and 3 males). Nine diets including th...

Published data on the probable involvement of avidin and avidin-related protein-2 (AVR2) in sustaining sperm viability in sperm storage tubules in 38-wk-old turkeys, and the high affinity of avidin or its analogs to biotin suggest that supplementary biotin may increase oviductal avidin and AVR2 expression, thereby attenuating the adverse effect of aging on hen reproductive performance. Broiler ...

Tardigrades are highly tolerant to desiccation and ionizing radiation but the mechanisms of this tolerance are not well understood. In this paper, we report studies on dose responses of adults and eggs of the tardigrade Hypsibius dujardini exposed to gamma radiation. In adults the LD50/48h for survival was estimated at ~ 4200 Gy, and doses higher than 100 Gy reduced both fertility and hatchabil...

Abstract The incorporation of zinc in the diets breeding chickens to enhance reproductive performance has been highlighted. However, no consensus reached on effect dietary supplementation outcomes chickens. Therefore, current study assessed effects semen quality, fertility and hatchability percentage using meta-analysis. Furthermore, subgroup analysis was also used assess sources (organic versu...

Chick embryo development is associated with an accumulation of polyunsaturated fatty acids in lipid tissues making them susceptible to lipid peroxidation. It has been accepted that canthaxanthin has high antioxidant capacity. Research findings have repeatedly indicated that feeding 25(OH)D3 (25-hydroxycholecalciferol), to poultry breeders, broilers and layers increased performance and health. T...