L-carnitine is a naturally occurring amino acid that plays a key role in producing energy. It transports fatty acids into the mitochondria to be oxidized and turned into adenosine triphosphates (ATP)s. It prevents helps prevent oxidative damage.
L-carnitine may be a beneficial supplement for chickens with fatty liver disease, lipomas, ascites and heart disease. It can potentially reduce the incidence of metabolic disease and reduction of abdominal fat in cornish "broiler" chickens.
Poultry Specific Studies
| Type | Plant Part | Dosage | Specific use | Results | Ref |
|---|
| Chickens | | 50 - 100 mg/kg | hypoxia | Dietary L-carnitine, especially at 100 mg/kg, effectively alleviates oxidative stress, enhances vasodilation, improves lipid metabolism, and mitigates pulmonary hypertensive responses in broilers exposed to high-altitude hypoxia and cold stress. | B Ahmadipour et al 2025 |
| Chickens | | 250 mg/kg of diet | reproductive | Improved reproductive hormones, blood lipids and testicular histology parameters at the time of maturity. | V Mohammadi et al., 2021 |
| Chickens | | 200 mg/kg | antioxidant | Helps with oxidative stress. | E Cetin et al., 2021 |
| Ducks | | 300-450 mg /kg diet | heat stress | Improved productive, hatching and physiological performance and nutrients digestibility coefficients to breeding ducks in the summer. | Y Rizk et al., 2019 |
| Chickens | | 75-150 mg/kg | Ascites | Reduced ascites mortality in chickens when given concurrently with CoQ10. | A Geng et al., 2010 |
| Chickens | | 25 mg/kg | reproductive | When given as a supplement to breeding hens it resulted in reduced abdominal fat in offspring. | M Kidd et al., 2005 |
| Chickens | | 50 ppm in drinking water | heat stress | Supplementing in to the laying hens could have potential to improve albumen quality under high environmental temperature. | L Celik et al., 2004 |
| Other | | 1000 mg/kg | antitumor | Decreased lipoma size in budgies. | R De Voe et al., 2004 |
References
- Azizi-Chekosari, ?., ?. Bouye, and A. R. Seidavi. "Effects of L-carnitine supplementation in diets of broiler chickens" Journal of the Hellenic Veterinary Medical Society 72. (2021)
- Ghoreyshi, Seyed Mohammad, et al.. "Effects of dietary supplementation of l-carnitine and excess lysine-methionine on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and immunity markers of broiler chicken" Animals 9.6 (2019)
- Yousefi, Azam, et al.. "Dietary L-carnitine improves pulmonary hypertensive response in broiler chickens subjected to hypobaric hypoxia" The Journal of Poultry Science 50.2 (2013)
- Adabi, Sh Golzar, et al.. "L-carnitine and its functional effects in poultry nutrition" World's poultry science journal 67.2 (2011)
- Karadeniz, Ali, N. Simsek, and S. Cakir.. "Haematological effects of dietary L-carnitine supplementation in broiler chickens" Revue Méd. Vét 159.8-9 (2008)
- Deng, K., C. W. Wong, and J. V. Nolan. "Long?term effects of early?life dietary L?carnitine on lymphoid organs and immune responses in Leghorn?type chickens" Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition 90.1?2 (2006)
- Xu, Z. R., et al.. "Effects of L-carnitine on growth performance, carcass composition, and metabolism of lipids in male broilers" Poultry science 82.3 (2003)
- Buyse, Johan, G. P. J. Janssens, and Eddy Decuypere. "The effects of dietary L-carnitine supplementation on the performance, organ weights and circulating hormone and metabolite concentrations of broiler chickens reared under a normal or low temperature schedule" British Poultry Science 42.2 (2001)
