Table 3.
Effect of in ovo feeding of a commercial product containing canthaxanthin at 17.5 d of embryo development on chick weight, free-yolk chick weight, chick length, and percentage of organ weight relative to the free yolk chick weight.
| Items | Commercial product containing canthaxanthin (mg/0.5 mL/egg) |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.00 | 0.35 | 0.45 | 0.55 | 0.65 | SEM | P-value | |
| Chick weight (g) | 44.51 | 43.91 | 43.25 | 43.41 | 43.36 | 3.56 | 0.6580 |
| FYCW (g) | 37.08 | 39.50 | 37.51 | 36.61 | 38.74 | 5.98 | 0.1646 |
| Chick length (cm) | 17.08 | 16.93 | 16.91 | 16.97 | 16.92 | 1.25 | 0.8732 |
| Bursa (%) | 0.091 | 0.093 | 0.094 | 0.091 | 0.105 | 0.07 | 0.9019 |
| Spleen (%) | 0.053 | 0.052 | 0.053 | 0.053 | 0.050 | 0.03 | 0.9320 |
| Small intestine (%) | 3.95 | 4.49 | 4.38 | 4.72 | 4.08 | 0.39 | 0.0981 |
| Yolk sac (%) | 16.04 | 15.34 | 13.99 | 1.85 | 15.12 | 1.10 | 0.1233 |
Abbreviation: FYCW, free yolk chick weight.