Supplementation of vitamins, probiotics and proteins on oxidative stress, enzymes and hormones in post-moult male broiler breeders

Abstract. This study was planned to investigate the comparative effect of vitamin E and C, probiotics, protein level and the combination of these treatments on body weight, serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC), total oxidant status (TOS), oxidative stress index (OSI), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), triiodothyronine (T₃), thyroxine (T₄), cortisol and some minerals in Zn-induced male broiler breeders. A total of 180 Hubbard male broiler breeders (65 weeks of age) were induced to moult. After moulting, the birds were randomly distributed into six groups. One group was fed vitamin E (100 IU/kg feed), second group was fed vitamin C (500 IU/kg feed), third group was fed probiotics (50 mg/L), fourth group was fed lower protein level (14 % crude protein) and the fifth group was fed the combination of the mentioned treatments. The sixth group served as control. The results revealed that serum TAC significantly increased (P<0.05) while TOS and OSI decreased (P<0.05) in the vitamin E fed group compared to the other treated groups. The analyses of the samples indicated that AST and ALT decreased significantly in the vitamin E supplemented group while T₃ and T₄ increased significantly as a result of this treatment. Cortisol concentration decreased significantly in the vitamin E fed group. Serum Mg increased significantly in the vitamin E supplemented group. The results indicated that the physiological biochemistry disrupted in male breeders as a consequence of moulting could be compensated by feeding vitamin E.