Journal of Fisheries & Livestock Production
Open Access

Abstract

The effects of dietary threonine (Thr) level on performance, offspring traits and embryo protein deposition in broiler breeder hens was investigated. A total of 720 Lingnan yellow-feathered broiler breeder hens were randomly divided into 1 of 6 dietary treatments with 6 replicates per treatment (20 birds per replicate). The hens were fed either the basal diet (Thr 0.38%) or the basal diet supplemented with 0.00%, 0.12%, 0.24%, 0.36%, 0.48% and 0.60% Thr from 29 w to 38 w. The results showed that Thr supplementation produced quadratic positive responses in laying rate. Hatchability was higher in breeders fed 0.12% and 0.24% Thr than those of control birds (P<0.05). Dietary supplemental Thr had significant effects on expressions of mucin 2 (MUC2) in duodenum, colon and uterus and ZO-1 in duodenum of hens (P<0.05). In chick embryo at embryonic age 18, there were significant up-regulations of dietary Thr levels on the transcripts of liver and breast muscle poultry target of Rapamycin, thigh threonine dehydrogenase, duodenum and ileum amino-peptidase (P<0.05), but no effects on MUC2 expression of duodenum and ileum (P>0.05). Chick livability and serum uric acid nitrogen concentration were increased and liver glutamic-pyruvic transaminase activity was decreased by dietary Thr supplementation (P<0.05). It concluded that there were positive effects of adding Thr on laying production of breeder hens and offspring performance and this was associated with the regulations of gene expressions related to amino acid transportation and protein deposition. The optimal dietary Thr supplemental level was 0.298% or 0.388 g/d for broiler breeders.

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