Effects of Hatching Egg Weight and In Ovo Injection with the Alcoholic Extract of Date Palm Pollen (Phoenix dactylifera L.) on Sex Ratio and Growth Uniformity in Broiler Chicks

The study was conducted to evaluate the effects of hatching egg weight and in ovo injection of alcoholic extract of date palm pollen (Phoenix dactylifera L.) on the sex ratio and growth uniformity of broiler chicks.The hatching eggs were divided into two groups based on weight 61 ± 2 g and 55 ± 2 g, with each group subjected to five treatments.The treatments include T1 (control with no injection), T2 (positive control where animals were injected with normal saline), T3 (injection with alcoholic extract of date palm pollen at a concentration of 125 µg/ml), T4 (injection with alcoholic extract of date palm pollen at 150 µg/ml) and T5 where animals were subjected to injection with alcoholic extract of date palm pollen at 175 µg/ml.A total of 405 chicks obtained from these treatments were divided into three replicates and reared under standard broiler production conditions (Ross 308) for five weeks.The results showed no significant differences between two egg-weight groups in male count, uniformity percentage, or sex ratio.However, males significantly outperformed females in both number and live body weight across both groups.Significant differences were observed among treatments in male count and body weight, with T4 recording the highest male percentage and T2 the highest male body weight.No significant differences were found in uniformity percentage or sex ratio among treatments.The interaction between egg weight and treatment showed significant effects on male count and body weight but not on uniformity percentage or sex ratio.Overall, males consistently outperformed females in both number and body weight, while uniformity values remained within acceptable limits (below 10%).Taken together, the finding highlights a positive impact of alcoholic extract of date palm pollen (Phoenix dactylifera L.) on sex ratio and growth uniformity in broiler chicks.