Susceptibility of chicks to nutritional encephalopathy: effect of fat and alpha-tocopherol content of the breeder diet.
Chicks hatched from eggs containing 16.5% linoleic acid of total yolk fatty acids (eggs laid by hens fed soybean oil in their diet) were more susceptible to nutritional encephalopathy induced by alpha-tocopherol-deficient diet containing thermally oxidized safflower oil than chicks hatched from eggs containing 7.5% linoleic acid (eggs laid by hen fed tallow). Supplementation of the diets of breeders hens with alpha-tocopheryl acetate significantly increased yolk alpha-tocopherol levels with both types of fat sources. However, the elevated egg alpha-tocopherol content decreased the rate of encephalopathy only in those chicks hatched from eggs containing also the higher linoleic acid level. The effect of the breeder diet on the severity of encephalopathy was observed in 4-week-old chicks.
D000818:Animals; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000378:metabolism / Q000662:veterinary*; D002645:Chickens; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D008055:Lipids / Q000172:deficiency*; D009748:Nutrition Disorders / Q000378:metabolism / Q000662:veterinary*; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000378:metabolism*; D014810:Vitamin E; D014811:Vitamin E Deficiency
D008055:Lipids; D014810:Vitamin E