NUTRITION
Maternal Transfer of Omega-3 Benefits to Broiler Offspring
New research demonstrates that supplementing broiler breeder diets with omega-3 fatty acids can improve the health and disease resilience of their broiler offspring.
Author: Jane Robinson
As the poultry industry continues to seek alternatives to antibiotics to support broiler health and growth, groundbreaking research at the University of Guelph has taken a different approach: improving the health of breeder birds first.
The concept behind the study was straightforward—supplement broiler breeder diets with omega-3 fatty acids and determine whether these benefits could be transferred to the next generation through the egg.
Dr. Elijah Kiarie, Professor of Monogastric Nutrition and McIntosh Family Chair in Poultry Nutrition at the University of Guelph, explained:
"We wanted to determine whether enriching breeder diets with omega-3 fatty acids would transfer those benefits through the egg, resulting in healthier and more resilient broiler chickens."
Together with PhD researcher Dr. Aizwarya Thanabalan, the team also investigated whether maternal omega-3 supplementation could improve disease resistance in broiler offspring.
Aizwarya Thanabalan completed her PhD program under the supervision of Dr. Elijah Kiarie with a research topic on the omega-3 project.
A Comprehensive Research Design
The 64-week study was conducted at the Arkell Poultry Research Station at the University of Guelph.
A total of 588 broiler breeder hens were assigned to one of three dietary treatments:
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Control diet
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Diet supplemented with 1% marine microalgae (DHA omega-3 source)
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Diet supplemented with 2.5% flaxseed-derived omega-3 (linPRO)
According to Dr. Thanabalan:
"This was a highly comprehensive experimental design involving 32 dietary treatment combinations to evaluate multiple variables, including the effects of two different omega-3 sources."
During the pullet rearing phase, researchers evaluated:
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Flock uniformity
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Skeletal development
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Effects of omega-3 supplementation on breeder health
Eggs were collected repeatedly throughout the production cycle to determine the transfer of omega-3 fatty acids into the eggs.
The following parameters were measured:
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Egg fatty acid composition
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Fertility
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Hatchability
The resulting chicks were then raised under standard commercial production conditions to evaluate:
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Body weight
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Feed intake
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Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR)
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Breast meat yield
An important objective of the study was to determine whether the greatest benefits were achieved by:
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Supplementing only breeder diets
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Supplementing only broiler diets
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Supplementing both breeder and broiler diets
At 10 days of age, broiler chicks were also challenged with either high or low levels of coccidiosis to evaluate disease resistance.
Benefits Passed to the Next Generation
The study demonstrated that:
✔ Supplementing omega-3 in both breeder and broiler diets produced significant benefits.
✔ However, the source of omega-3 had a substantial impact on the results.
Dr. Kiarie commented:
"We observed very impressive responses from omega-3 supplementation in breeder diets."
Flaxseed Omega-3 Outperformed DHA
Compared with DHA derived from microalgae, broilers receiving flaxseed omega-3 exhibited:
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Lower Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR)
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Improved feed efficiency
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Better growth performance
These findings are particularly encouraging because flaxseed omega-3 (linPRO) is a sustainable ingredient produced in Canada by O & T Farms.
Improved Breast Meat Yield
When both breeders and broilers received flaxseed omega-3 supplementation:
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Breast meat yield increased by approximately 5%.
Notably, birds fed flaxseed omega-3 produced significantly higher breast meat yield than those receiving DHA from microalgae.
Heavier Chicks at Hatch
Breeder hens fed flaxseed omega-3 produced chicks with higher hatch weights than breeders supplemented with algae-derived omega-3.
According to Dr. Kiarie:
"Producers always prefer heavier chicks because they generally perform better throughout the production cycle."
Better Resistance to Coccidiosis
Following a coccidiosis challenge:
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Birds receiving DHA from microalgae showed greater intestinal lesions.
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Flaxseed omega-3 demonstrated superior immune-supporting effects.
Dr. Thanabalan explained:
"Previous studies suggest that DHA may suppress the inflammatory response required to establish immunity, whereas flaxseed omega-3 appears to provide a more balanced response."
Dr. Kiarie also suggested that flaxseed omega-3 may produce a slow-release effect because it must first be metabolized before utilization, providing longer-lasting benefits for poultry health and productivity.
A New Perspective on Poultry Nutrition
According to the researchers, these findings suggest that the poultry industry should rethink how broiler nutrition is approached.
Dr. Kiarie emphasized:
"We need to rethink how we feed poultry."
He believes that the opportunity to further improve broiler performance through starter diets alone is becoming increasingly limited. Greater attention should instead be directed toward:
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Egg quality
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Chick quality
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Breeder nutrition
These early-life factors can have a profound influence on the lifetime performance of commercial broilers.
Dr. Thanabalan added:
"We should be feeding breeder flocks with the future health and performance of their broiler offspring in mind."
She noted that the industry still tends to treat each production stage independently, whereas the greatest value comes from considering the production chain as one continuous system.
According to Dr. Bree Kelln, Technical Services and Research & Development Manager at O & T Farms:
"This research introduces a new way of thinking about animal nutrition—considering the entire life cycle of the animal rather than focusing solely on the 42-day broiler production period."
Conclusion
The study demonstrates that supplementing breeder diets with omega-3 fatty acids—particularly flaxseed-derived omega-3 (linPRO)—not only improves breeder health but also delivers significant benefits to the next generation by:
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Increasing chick hatch weight
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Improving Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR)
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Increasing breast meat yield
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Enhancing resistance to coccidiosis
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Optimizing broiler production efficiency throughout the entire production chain
