Partial Replacement of Dietary Cholecalciferol with 25-Hydroxycholecalciferol on Broiler Chickens Subjected to a Coccidiosis Vaccine Challenge
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2019 Poultry Science Association Inc. The objective of the present study was to compare the effect of cholecalciferol (D3) and partial replacement of D3 with 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25-OH-D3) on performance, intestinal integrity, vitamin D status, and bone mineralization of chickens subjected to a coccidiosis challenge. Broiler chicks were allocated to battery brooders for a 21-d trial period. Experimental treatments consisted of a basal diet devoid of D3, plus D3 supplemented at 5 (Control), 50, 100, 150, and 200 g D3 per kg of feed or the basal diet supplemented with D3 at 25, 50, 75, 100 g D3/kg of feed in combination with 25, 50, 75, and 100 g 25-OH-D3 per kg of feed, respectively. On day 7 of the study, all birds were orally gavaged with a commercially available live coccidiosis vaccine. The results of the present study, suggested that dietary D3 and 25-OHD3 at concentrations above the control group (50-200 g/kg of feed) were effective (P < 0.05) to promote performance by improving feed conversion, final body weight and weight gain. Additionally, the replacement of D3 with 25-OH-D3 (50% of total D3) yielded better (P < 0.05) tibial mineralization (in average 3% higher), tibial breaking strength (in average 9% higher) and total plasma 25-OH-D3 (in average 37% higher) in chickens subjected to the coccidiosis challenge. In conclusion, dietary replacement of D3 with 25-OH-D3, could provide a better margin of safety than feeding D3 alone as a nutritional strategy to ameliorate the health and performance challenges associated with live coccidiosis vaccination.
