Hormone-mediated maternal stress affects embryonic development during incubation without adverse effect on chick weight and body composition

Abstract

1. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of maternal stress (MS) induced by supplementing the hen's diet with 2 mg/hen/d dietary corticosterone (CORT) on embryonic development, biochemical blood parameters and hatching performance of broiler chicks. 2. A total of 200 Ross broiler breeder hens at 42 weeks of age were randomly divided into two groups: MS or control. Hens in the MS were fed 2 mg/hen/d CORT for 14 d. Eggs (648 and 635 eggs for MS and control, respectively) were collected from d 3 to 14 of dietary CORT supplementation and incubated. Weights of embryo, chicks and organs and body composition were determined during incubation and at hatch. Biochemical blood parameters were measured at internal pipping stage and day of hatch. Hatching performance and embryonic mortalities were recorded. 3. Hens fed a diet supplemented with CORT had lighter body weight and produced less eggs at the end of the 14-d treatment period. Although MS embryos were heavier than control from 12 to 18 d of incubation, chick weight was similar at the day of hatch. Lower relative weights for yolk sac and bursa were observed at 12 d of incubation for MS chicks compared to control. Chicks from both groups had similar body content in spite of higher fat content of MS embryos on d 18 of incubation. 4. MS had no effect on the duration of incubation or hatching performance but increased mortality at the pipping stage. 5. The results suggest that hormone-mediated MS might affect embryonic development during incubation without adverse effect on chick weight and body composition.