EFFECT OF IN OVO INJECTION OF THE LAYING BREEDER EGGS WITH VITAMIN C ON HATCHABILITY AND POST HATCHING PERFORMANCE

This study aimed to identify the influence of in ovo injection of laying breeder hen eggs with ascorbic acid (vitamin C) on hatchability and subsequent offspring productivity. Three hundred ninety-five fertile eggs from local Mezo laying breeder hens were used. They were divided into five treatments with seventy-nine eggs each. The treatments were as follows: T1: negative control (no injection); T2: positive control (injected with 0.3 mL of distilled water); T3: injected with 0.3 mL of 1.5% vitamin C solution; T4: injected with 0.3 mL of 2% vitamin C solution; T5: injected with 0.3 mL of 2.5% vitamin C solution. Eggs were injected on the 12th day of incubation in an area free of blood vessels. After hatching, chicks were reared under normal conditions in halls with controlled lighting until five months of age. Statistical analysis showed that injection with 0.3 mL of 1.5% vitamin C solution resulted in a significant increase (P≤ 0.05) in hatchability, hatching weight, live weight, total weight gain, feed conversion factor (FCR), and age at first egg production, along with a significant decrease in embryonic and chick mortality.