Physiological adaptive indicators in fasted neonate broiler chicks in response to calcium gluconate injection

SummaryFour hundred and eighty mixed‐sex broiler chicks aged 3 h after hatching were allotted according to a completely random design in a 6 × 2 × 2 factorial schedule into two groups of 12 replications of 20 chicks each. The main experimental factors were fasting for 0, 6, 12, 24, 36 and 48 h after chick placement and calcium gluconate (Ca‐glu) injection (0 and 0.6 ml). Live body weight (BW) of chicks decreased linearly (Y = 43.36–0.109BW0 h, r2 = 0.876) as neonatal fasting extended. Injection of 0.6 ml Ca‐glu at 3 h post‐hatching did not affect weight loss of chicks. Yolk residuals (YR) utilized linearly (Y = 5.75–0.062YR, r2 = 0.956) by 0.062 g/h in neonate fasted chicks up to 48 h, showing no effect of Ca‐glu injection. Neonatal fasting periods longer than 12 h increased liver weight (p < 0.05). The mean absolute and proportional (% of BW0 h) breast and leg weight were reduced linearly as neonatal fasting extended (p < 0.05). Serum glucose concentration increased up to 6 h and then reduced linearly to 150 mg/dl after 48‐h fasting. The Ca‐glu treatment influenced serum glucose level for a short period up to 6 h of fasting. Serum Ca concentration sharply increased up to threefolds in the birds received Ca‐glu injection resulting in acute hypercalcemia, then decreased to the initial level after 24‐h feed withdrawal (p < 0.05). The mean serum level for creatinine, uric acid, cholesterol, HDL, albumins and total proteins significantly increased during the fasting periods of 6 to 48 h and significantly elevated in the birds receiving 0.6‐ml Ca‐glu injection compared with the non‐treated chicks (p < 0.05). It was concluded that subcutaneous administration of 0.6 ml Ca‐glu in the chick's neck did not suitably support the increased metabolic demands for glucose and calcium in feed‐deprived neonate chicks.