The Impact of in ovo Injection of Silver Nanoparticles, Thyme and Savory Extracts in Broiler Breeder eggs on Growth Performance, Lymphoid-Organ Weights, and Blood and Immune Parameters of Broiler Chicks

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the long-term effects of <em>in ovo </em>injection of nano-silver, thyme and savory extracts in broiler breeder eggs on growth performance, lymphoid organ weights, immune and blood parameters and bone mineral concentration of broiler chicks. A total of 560 fertilized broiler breeder eggs were divided into 7 groups. On d 5 of incubation, eggs were treated with the following groups. Group 1 (control, no injection); group 2 (placebo, 1 mL of 0.9% NaCl); group 3 and 4 (placebo + 30 and 45 mg of nano-silver, respectively); group 5 and 6 (placebo + 75 and 100 mg of thyme, respectively) and group 7 (placebo + 75 mg of savory). After hatch, chickens were fed a corn-soybean meal diet under the controlled conditions and slaughtered at 14 and 21 d of age for sample collection and analysis. The lymphoid-organ weights and growth rate were not affected by dietary treatments at 14 and 21 d of age. The results also showed that nano-silver injected into broiler breeder eggs during incubation improved the bone mineral concentration and cell-mediated immunity at 14 and 21 d of age, respectively. Humoral immunity was improved by thyme and savory extracts (<em>P</em> < 0.05). Overall, the effect of <em>in ovo</em> injection of nano-silver, thyme and savory extracts during embryonic development is a potential means to improve immune activities of broiler chickens, while does not have any detrimental effect on embryo hatchability.