Reproductive Performances of Pheasants Fed High Vitamin E Levels

A trial was performed to evaluate the effect of two levels of dietary vitamin E supplementation (100mg and 300mg Kg-1 feed) on in vivo fertilizing ability of pheasant semen. Fifty-four males pheasants, 39 weeks old, were randomly shared among three dietary groups (Control, VitE-100 and VitE-300). Ninety females of the same age of the males, fed a commercial diet and divided into three groups, were inseminated at 47 and 50 weeks of age, corresponding to 10th and 13th weeks from the onset of egg production, respectively. Egg fertility obtained from semen of the VitE-100 and VitE-300 was lower than the Control group. The difference between Control and VitE-300 is appreciable only during the first 7 days following A.I. However the fertilizing persistence is longer with Vitamin E supplementation. Indeed, the trend of the fertility over the 14 d interval, shows a more rapid decline of fertility in the Control in respect to the Vitamin E supplemented birds. For VitE-100 and for VitE-300 the overall hatchability rate on fertile eggs was +8.8% and +14.8% of that of Control males, respectively.