Recipient Organization
AUBURN UNIVERSITY
108 M. WHITE SMITH HALL
AUBURN,AL 36849
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Fertility and hatchability rates in broiler breeder chickens, the parent stock that produces meat birds, have declined below 80% in recent years, creating significant challenges for the economic stability of the broiler industry. Feeding programs during the growth phase are critical for reproductive success, yet current industry practices vary without sufficient scientific evidence to guide decisions. This project will address this gap by investigating how restrictive feeding programs, such as daily-fed versus every-other-day feeding, affect growth, energy use, and hormone production, all of which are linked to reproduction. To achieve this goal, we will compare daily-fed and every-other-day feeding programs using a controlled animal experiment and individual bird housing to minimize differences due to competition for feed. We will combine measurements of body weight and reproductive traits with advanced analyses of gene activity, lipid profiles, and hormone levels to identify how feeding influences reproduction. Expected outcomes include science-based recommendations for feeding strategies that improve fertility and hatchability while addressing welfare considerations. If this project improves fertility by just 1%, it could mean 2.5 million more chicks every week in the US or 130 million more birds every year, recovering up to $728 million annually for the US broiler industry. Ultimately, this research will fill a fundamental knowledge gap and provide a practical scientific understanding for primary breeders and integrators to make informed management decisions, improving food security, animal welfare, and economic resilience.
Animal Health Component
30%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
70%
Applied
30%
Developmental
0%
Goals / Objectives
Major GoalOur long-term goal is to advance understanding of the physiological mechanisms that influence production and fertility rates in broiler breeder flocks, providing a foundation for evidence-based management practices. This project will use an integrated approach that combines transcriptomic, lipidomic, and hormone analyses to examine reproductive and metabolic physiology under restricted feeding, the predominant reproductive management practice in broiler breeders. The major achievement will be the development of a comprehensive, individual-level multi-omics dataset that links molecular, metabolic, and endocrine pathways to reproductive outcomes, establishing physiological benchmarks that inform future management strategies and research priorities. Unlike previous studies that rely on group-level data with high variability in feeding intake, this project will analyze individual birds to reduce confounding effects, improve precision, and provide robust physiological benchmarks for reproductive and metabolic traits.Specific ObjectivesDetermine the impact of feeding regimens on the neuroendocrine control of reproduction in male and female broiler breeders.Perform RNA-seq to characterize the transcriptome of the hypothalamus and pituitary glands of males and females fed either daily or on a SKIP program during the rearing phase.Compare differential gene expression profiles between feeding regimens and sexes to identify pathways involved in neuroendocrine regulation.Conduct functional enrichment analysis to interpret biological processes and signaling pathways affected by feeding programs.(2) Investigate how metabolic tissues and adipokines are related to sexual maturation and reproductive success in broiler breeder flocks.Quantify the expression of key metabolic and adipokine-related genes in adipose tissue and liver, as well as the oviduct and ovary of females and testes of males, using targeted gene expression.Perform lipidomic profiling on yolk, semen, and adipose tissue to characterize lipid composition and identify metabolic signatures associated with reproductive outcomes.Measure circulating concentrations of adipokines (visfatin, chemerin, adiponectin) and evaluate their relationships with sexual maturation, egg production, and fertility rates.(3) Individual-level multi-omics data to identify key pathways influencing reproduction and metabolism.
Project Methods
This project will involve a controlled experimental design to compare daily-fed and skip-a-day-fed broiler breeder programs during rearing. Birds will be housed in individual cages to minimize variation in feed intake. Sample collection will include tissues such as the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, ovary, testes, oviduct, liver, and adipose tissue, as well as blood, yolk, and semen samples. The hypothalamus and pituitary gland will undergo RNA sequencing to generate transcriptomic datasets to elucidate the neuroendocrine control. The ovary, testes, oviduct, liver, and adipose tissue will undergo targeted gene expression analysis to determine the gonadal activation and potential links between reproduction and metabolism. Lipidomics will be performed on the yolk, semen, and adipose tissue to determine storage profiles and compare them with reproductive outputs. Finally, blood samples will be used to measure circulating adipokines. All hens will be artificially inseminated beginning at 25 weeks of age. Body weight, egg production, semen concentration, and fertility rates will also be recorded. Data will be analyzed using mixed-model ANOVA and regression analyses to evaluate the feeding regimens, while bioinformatic pipelines will integrate transcriptomic, lipidomic, and hormonal data at the individual bird level to identify pathways linking energy status, neuroendocrine signaling, and reproductive activation. Correlation and network analyses will be used to develop predictive benchmarks for reproductive performance under different feeding regimens.Project efforts will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, scientific presentations, and industry workshops. Evaluation will be based on the completion of planned experiments, the integration of multi-omics datasets, the publication of at least three peer-reviewed articles, the development of bioinformatics tools and physiological benchmarks, and engagement metrics from workshops and student training outcomes.