Abstract
With the addition of linoleic (n-6) and ±-linolenic (n-3) fatty acids in laying hens diets, there is an increase of these compounds in the final product and also an improvement in their quality. However, it's needed be cautious to not unbalance the n-6 / n-3 ratio of the diet, because the high enrichment of the diet in omega-3, with the purpose of supplementing the eggs, can influence or even harm the health of laying hens. Given the above, one of the areas of research that has most attracted the attention of experts in poultry lately is immunomodulation through nutrition. Thus, a study will be conducted at the Poultry Science Division of the FCAT - UNESP - Campus of Dracena, with the objective of evaluating different n-6 / n-3 ratios on cellular immunology and the biochemical and metabolic variables of laying hens at 80 weeks of age. For this, it will be used 224 laying hens Hysex White strain, distributed in a completely randomized design and divided into seven treatments, with eight replicates of four birds per cage. The experimental treatments will consist of seven different n-6 / n-3 fatty acid ratios: 1.0; 2.0; 4.0; 8.0; 16.0; 32.0; 64.0. For the formulation of these diets will be used sunflower oil, rich in omega-6, and, linseed oil, rich in omega-3. It will be obtained the hematological variables: hematocrit, hemoglobin and Wintrobe indices, number of erythrocytes, total and differential count of defense cells, and biochemical variables and metabolism: total protein, albumin, serum globulin, A: G index, glycemia and electrolytes (chloride). The results will be submitted to statistical analysis by SAS software (2012) at 5% probability. The effect of the treatments will be deployed in regression analysis by means of orthogonal polynomials adjusted for the exponential levels of the omega 6/3 ratios. (AU)
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