ISSUE FOCUS FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE September 2024 41 al (Figure 2). At the end of production, this treated flock had a cumulative 20–62-week mortality rate of only 5.5% vs. 6.1% for control (Table 1). BENEFITS UP TO THE HATCHERY LEVEL Next to egg production, also fertility rate (i.e. via automatic candling at incubation day 18 in the hatchery) of the hatching eggs collected during Phase 2 of lay was higher for the antioxidant treated group (Figure 3). On average, ELIFE® dietary supplementation during this later period increased the fraction of fertile and viable eggs by 1.7 percentage points (Table 1). In line with fertility, also hatchability of the eggs derived from this production phase was higher for the antioxidant supplemented breeders (Figure 4). During this critical end period, ELIFE® on-top addition to the parent stock’s diet raised the hatching rate by more than 2 percentage points on average (Table 1). Nevertheless, all fertility and hatching results were originally similar for both groups at the onset of the supplementation. Additionally, the fraction of fertile hatching eggs (from this 2nd laying phase) from which embryos sucParameter in Phase 2 of lay (wk 45-62 of life) Hen-week egg laying % (mean) Overall hen mortality % (wk 20-62 cum.) Fertile hatching eggs % (mean) Total hatchability % (mean) Fertile hatchability % (mean) Number of Day-Old Chicks produced/hen (wk 45-62 cum.) Control ELIFE® antioxidant (1 kg/t) Ross 308 genetic norm (2021) 73.3 5.5 89.5 85.5 95.6 79.2 63.9 5-8 85.7 77.5 90.4 62.8 71.8 6.1 87.8 83.4 95.0 75.8 Table 1. Summary of broiler breeder trial results for Phase 2 of lay (no replicates and thus no statistics possible). % Egg hatchability (wk 26-62) 95 90 85 80 75 70 Age (week of life) 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 62 Phase 2: + 2.1 % pts Control ELIFE® 1 kg/t (introduced as from wk 26) Figure 4. Time course of egg hatchability (%) throughout the supplementation trial (no replicates and thus no statistics possible). Figure 3. Time course of breeder fertility (%) throughout the supplementation trial (no replicates and thus no statistics possible). % Fertility (wk 26-62) 100 95 90 85 80 75 70 Age (week of life) 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 62 Data N/A Control ELIFE® 1 kg/t (introduced as from wk 26) Phase 2: + 1.7 % pts
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