Effect of Different Levels of Vitamin E in Broiler Breeder Diet on Egg Production and Quality

In this experiment, the effect of different levels of vitamin E (vit E) in Arian broiler breeder diet on egg production and hatching egg quality were investigated. Two hundred and eighty broiler breeders and twenty eight males were allocated at random to one of seven experimental diets containing graded levels of supplementary vit E (0, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100 and 120 IU/kg diet) from 26 to 35 weeks of age. Egg production did not significantly (P≥0.05) influence by the level of vit E in the breeder diet, but total egg production of control group was lower than other groups. Dietary treatments did not influence haugh unit of albumen (at 31 weeks of age), albumen pH, shell thickness and egg yolk color (35 weeks of age only), but, in week 35, hens receiving supplemental vit E higher than 40 IU/kg diet, had greater (P≤0.05) haugh unit than control group (92.21, 93.89, 93.25, 94.61 and 93.09 vs. 87.06 respectively). The results of this experiment indicated that high levels of vit E in broiler breeder diet can improve hatching egg quality.