Effects of in ovo feeding of N-acetyl-L-glutamate on early intestinal development and growth performance in broiler chicken

Abstract The current study determined the effects of in ovo feeding (IOF) of N-acetyl-L-glutamate (NAG) on early intestinal development and growth performance of broilers. A total of 702 fertile broiler eggs were randomly divided into three treatments: 1) non-punctured control group, 2) saline-injected control group, and 3) NAG solution-injected group (1.5 mg/egg). At 17.5 d of incubation, 300 μL of each solution was injected into each egg of injected groups. Results indicated that the hatchability and healthy chicken rate were not affected by NAG injection (P > 0.05). Chicks from NAG solution-injected group had significantly decreased average daily feed intake and feed conversion ratio during 1–14 d than those in the non-punctured control group (P