Effect of antioxidant supplementation on the reproduction of brown egg–layer breeders

Plant extracts rich in bioactive compounds, particularly polyphenols, have gained increasing attention in poultry breeder nutrition owing to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. These properties help preserve intestinal integrity and support improvements in gamete quality and embryonic viability. Commercial feed products, such as Elife®, have been developed to incorporate additives, including flavonoids, proanthocyanidins, and phenolic acids, delivering polyphenols in highly bioavailable forms and ensuring effective antioxidant activity. This study evaluated the effects of dietary supplementation with Elife® in brown egg-layer breeders (males and females) on productive and reproductive performance, egg quality, incubation traits, and progeny outcomes. Two experiments were conducted with birds aged from 54 to 70 weeks. In Experiment 1, 30 Rhode Island Red roosters were allocated to the following treatment groups: basal diet without additives (CON); basal diet + 0.5 kg of Elife®/t of feed (E500); and basal diet + 1 kg of Elife®/t of feed (E1000). Body weight, feed intake, and sperm quality were measured in each rooster every 28 days. For Experiment 2, 210 White Plymouth Rock brown egg-layer hens were assigned to the same three treatments as in Experiment 1. Body weight, feed intake, laying rate, egg quality, and incubation parameters were recorded every 28 days. Roosters receiving E1000 showed significantly improved sperm motility and an increased proportion of morphologically normal sperm without affecting feed intake, body weight, or sperm vigor. Hens under E1000 had lower feed intake than controls while maintaining egg quality (P > 0.05). Furthermore, combined parental supplementation with Elife® improved egg hatchability, reduced early embryonic mortality, and increased day-old chick weight. Overall, combined parental supplementation with Elife® demonstrated an effective nutritional strategy for improving fertility, embryonic viability, and chick quality in brown egg-layer breeders.