In ovo sodium butyrate injection impacts differently gut health and growth-performance in low and high hatch-weight broilers

Our study offers unique insights into the physiological mechanisms underlying intestinal development, barrier function, immune response, and gut microbiota characteristics that contribute to the divergence between low and high hatch weight chicks. Given the differences in digestive physiology between these groups, we hypothesized that their response to in ovo sodium butyrate injection might differ, potentially leading to varied impacts on growth performance.