Effectiveness of Vitamin E in Reversing Sterility of Male Chickens Fed a Diet High in Linoleic Acid

Abstract

To determine whether sterility of adult male chickens fed a diet high in linoleic acid and low in vitamin E was permanent or could be reversed by supplemental vitamin E, 3 groups of 8 White Leghorn males were fed for a 40-week experimental period as follows: group 1, a high linoleic acid (7.3%)-high vitamin E (166.3 mg/kg) diet; group 2, a high linoleic acid-low vitamin E (4.3 mg/kg) diet; and group 3, treated as group 2 from zero to 28 weeks and as group 1 from 28 to 40 weeks. The following results were obtained: 1) The adverse effect of the high linoleic acid-low vitamin E diet on fertility and semen concentration was confirmed. 2) The addition of vitamin E to the high linoleic acid diet at 28 weeks restored fertility to the level obtained from males receiving vitamin E throughout the trial. 3) Semen concentration was improved following the addition of vitamin E to the diet at 28 weeks. 4) No meaningful differences on semen volume, hatchability of fertile eggs, feed consumption, mortality, or body and testes weights were observed with males fed the various diets. The results indicate that the low fertility and semen concentration of male chickens fed a diet high in linoleic acid but low in vitamin E are reversible following vitamin E supplementation.