The performance, blood electrolyte contents, intestinal characteristics and meat quality of broiler chickens fed with L-carnitine under heats stress

Using the high dietary fat under heat stress increase the L carnitine needs for long chain fatty acid transfer from cytosol to mitochondria for beta-oxidation. The aim of current study was to reveal the effects of different levels of L-carntine on liver enzyme activities, antioxidant status, blood electrolyte contents, intestinal characteristics, meat nutrient composition and meat color of broiler chickens in heat stress condition. Two hundred one-day-old male broiler chicks (Ross 308) were used in a completely randomized design with 4 treatments and five replicate pens each (10 birds in each pen). Experimental treatments were the basal diet (control treatment) and the basal diet supplemented with different levels of 100, 200 and 300 mg/kg L-carnitine. The experimental diets were used during the finisher period (day 25 to day 42 of age) and under heat stress (32±1ºC as cyclic from 8 AM to 5 PM). The results showed that the chickens fed the 300 mg/kg of L-carnitine, had the greater weight gain in compassion to those on the control and the lower levels of L-carnitine during the finisher period (P0.05). Supplementation of L-carnitine had did not change the blood electrolytes, carcass and intestinal characteristics, thigh meat nutrients (acidity, ash, protein, moisture and fat) and meat color indices of the chickens. Totally, the consumption of 300 mg/kg L-carnitine improves the performance and increases the blood uric acid of broiler chickens under heat stress.