The Effects of Dietary Omega‐3 and / or Coenzyme Q10 on Semen Quality and Reproductive Function of Aged Broiler Breeder Roosters

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation of WHAT with omega-3, coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), and the combination of both on semen quality, reproductive performance, and plasma variables in broiler breeder roosters. A total of 48 broiler breeder roosters (Hubbard F15, 49 weeks of age) were randomly assigned to one of four experimental diets: a control (Con; basal diet consisting of corn-soybean base), a Salomega (S; basal diet supplemented with 30 g of Salomega per kg of feed), a CoQ10 (Q; basal diet supplemented with 400 mg of CoQ10 per kg of feed), and a combination diet (CSQ; basal diet supplemented with 30 g of Salomega and 400 mg of CoQ10 per kg of feed). Salomega (Agritech Co. Ireland) contains 50% fat and about 10% total omega-3 fatty acids. Each treatment was replicated four times with three roosters in each. The results showed that dietary supplementation of CoQ10 increased sperm concentration, sperm motility, sperm plasma membrane integrity, seminal plasma total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and blood testosterone (P<0.05) in comparison to the Con groups, and the synergistic ef-fects were observed in the basal diet supplemented with 30 g of Salomega and 400 mg of CoQ10 per kg of feed (CSQ groups) compared to Con groups (P<0.05). In addition, the CSQ supplementation reduced plasma levels of glucose and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity (P<0.05) in comparison to the Con groups. Roosters fed the CSQ supplementation had significantly higher fertility, hatchability of total eggs, and sperm penetration rates in comparison to the Con group (P<0.05). It can be concluded that the dietary combination of omega-3 and CoQ10 had a synergistic effect to improve the reproductive performance of aged broiler breeder roosters in comparison to separately dietary supplementation with omega-3 or CoQ10.