Vitamin C amelioration of the adrenal stress response in broiler chickens being prepared for slaughter.
1. At 32 hr prior to slaughter, broiler chickens were treated for 24 hr with either: 1200 ppm of L-ascorbic acid (AA; Vitamin C) in their drinking water or with no-AA supplementation (controls; simultaneously maintained on tap water). 2. Following the dietary treatments, birds were stressed by cooping/starvation for 8 hr before being hauled to an abattoir for processing. As indices of stress status, blood corticosterone (B) levels and heterophil/lymphocyte (H/L) ratios were determined at 32 and 8 hr prior to slaughter, and immediately before slaughter (0 hr). 3. The results indicated that AA supplementation reduces the stress response (i.e. elevated plasma B levels and H/L ratios) evident in broiler chickens being prepared for processing.
Satterlee
D G
DG
Poultry Science Department, Louisana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge 70803.
Aguilera-Quintana
I
I
Munn
B J
BJ
Krautmann
B A
BA
D000302:Adrenal Cortex / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002645:Chickens / Q000502:physiology*; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000662:veterinary*
D001205:Ascorbic Acid; D003345:Corticosterone