Recent work by Professor Eugeni Roura and Dr Mila Meijer has uncovered a novel egg injection technique that looks promising. This novel strategy is designed to enhance nutrition and immunity of developing chicks. Early research efforts at the University of Queensland are yielding very positive results. Injecting these compounds of essential oils into fertile eggs can lead to healthier chicks and hens. The results hold great potential to improve the health and welfare of broiler chickens, a huge economic sector within the animal industry.
The study, which is detailed in the journal article with DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2024.104286, highlights the positive effects of injecting carvacrol—a compound found in oregano—into eggs shortly before hatching. This approach improves the lives of chicks and responds to larger issues related to poultry health management.
Improved Nutrition and Immunity
Professor Roura’s research emphasizes the vital connection between the nutrition of broiler breeder hens and the health of their offspring. Amen, brother. We are about changing the trajectory and optimizing the development and resiliency of the young. We can do that by improving the nutritional status of their mothers. Last month’s big study backs up this way of thinking. Specifically, they propose that better nutrition during reproduction translates to improved health for offspring.
Dr. Meijer’s research targets early-life immunomodulation by in ovo delivery of carvacrol. Her team found that this essential oil can help stimulate chicks’ immune systems even before they hatch. Even better, this would help the chicks be more resilient and survive during their vulnerable early weeks.
“Carvacrol is the main compound found in oregano and is the gold standard essential oil to improve health.” – Dr. Mila Meijer
Injecting carvacrol into fertile eggs is intended to bring the benefits as directly as possible to the developing chick. The chick receives nourishment from the yolk. At the same time, carvacrol gets inside its intestine and increases its immune response to gut pathogens.
Reducing Health Risks
The impact of this approach is hard to overstate. By producing healthier chicks at hatch, poultry producers will lessen the occurrence of diseases that normally affect young birds. Research indicates that healthier chicks are far less susceptible to infections in the first few weeks of life. This window of time is incredibly important because this is when they are most vulnerable.
The findings suggest that implementing egg injection techniques on farms could complement existing vaccination practices without adding significant complexity for farmers.
“It’s known to reduce inflammation when fed to mature chickens, so we wanted to see if it also worked in newly hatched chicks. To do that, we injected the compound into the amniotic fluid in the egg a few days before hatching. Most of the carvacrol migrates to the embryo’s yolk sac, which is connected to the developing gut. As the chick absorbs the yolk in the final days before hatching, carvacrol may be delivered directly into the intestine. We found the carvacrol activated the immune system in the chick, which could be very useful when a bird is in a health-challenging situation.”
The impacts of this study go beyond just improving health in the short term. It addresses concerns about antibiotic use in poultry farming, as healthier birds could lead to a reduction in reliance on essential antimicrobials. Dr. Meijer notes,
Future Implications for Poultry Farming
Nutritional improvements combined with new approaches such as egg injection present huge opportunities. Together, these two developments hold great potential to fundamentally improve poultry production practices.
“When we feed the broiler breeder hen, we are thinking not only of the hen but also of the embryo and the chicken, which is a gap that we’ve identified over recent years. The reduction in the use of essential antimicrobials that maintain the health and welfare of chicks will come with a more robust chicken, and that’s one of the key aspects.”
The integration of nutritional improvements with advanced techniques like egg injection represents a promising avenue for enhancing poultry production practices.