Effect of Zinc Deficiency in Hens on Hatchability and Embryonic Development.

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Abstract
Purified hen diets containing isolated soybean protein and 3-28 ppm Zn were supplemented with 120 ppm Zn (as ZnCl2) in an investigation of the role of Zn in the nutrition of the breeding hen. Hatchability of eggs from hens fed the Zn-supplemented diet was relatively uniform throughout the experiment, varying between 79% and 89%. When the Zn content of the unsupplemented basal diet was approximately 28 ppm, hatchability was erratic, but generally lower than that of eggs from the Zn-supplemented hens. Hatchability rapidly decreased to 0 when the Zn content of the basal diet was reduced to approximately 4 ppm. Examination of dead embryos from Zn-deficient hens revealed a characteristic skeletal malformation in which the dominant feature was some degree of impaired trunk and limb development, the caudal-most part of the vertebrae always being absent. These skeletal abnormalities were never observed in embryos from hens fed the Zn-supplemented diet. Chicks managing to hatch from Zn-deficient hens exhibited varying degrees of weakness.