Effect of in ovo injection of royal jelly on hatchability, immune response and growth performance of broilers

Abstract

Introduction: An experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of in ovo injection
of royal jelly (RJ) on hatchability, immune response and growth performance in broiler
chickens.
Materials & Methods: A total of 400 fertilized broiler eggs from Ross 308 breeder were
used in a completely randomized design assigned with 5 experimental treatments. For
each treatment, four replicates were considered and 20 eggs were used in each replicate.
The solutions containing 60% RJ and 80% RJ were prepared by mixing 600 and 800
mg of royal jelly in 100 mL of sterile water, respectively. The treatments included 1)
control (without injection), 2) injection of 0.5 mL sterile water, 3) injection of 0.5 ml
of solution containing 60% RJ, 4) injection of 0.5 mL of solution containing 80% RJ,
and 5) injection of 0.5 mL pure RJ. The post-hatched chicks were raised for 42 days
with a same basal diet.
Results: The results showed that in ovo injection of RJ had no adverse effects on
hatchability traits but significantly increased average daily gain and improved feed
conversion ratio (P<0.05). In comparison with the control group, in ovo injection of
solution containing of 80% and pure RJ significantly increased (P<0.05). IgM
concentration and antibody titer in response to sheep blood cell (SRBC) injection but
significantly reduced total cholesterol and LDL in serum (P<0.01). The carcass yield,
relative weight of internal organs, serum concentration of triglycerides, HDL, calcium,
phosphorus, and total protein were not affected by experimental treatments.
Conclusion: The results of the current research indicated that in ovo injection of RJ may
decrease serum lipid parameters and enhance immunity without showing an adverse
effect on the performance of broiler chicken.