{
  "abstract": "In-ovo intervention has been investigated as an early-life strategy to influence post-hatch development, but its effects on growth performance at commercial market age remain inconsistent. This meta-analysis aimed to quantitatively synthesize BW, feed conversion ratio (FCR), and breast muscle yield at d 35 and d 42 in commercial broilers. A total of 1,409 records were identified in the initial database search, of which 38 studies met the eligibility criteria. Random-effects meta-analyses were conducted separately according to assessment age and comparator, while broiler strain, intervention category, and injection timing were explored as potential sources of heterogeneity. Compared with Non-injection, In-ovo intervention was associated with higher BW on d 35 (Hedges’s g = 0.686, 95% CI: 0.066 to 1.306, P = 0.03, I² = 84.55%, n = 12) and d 42 (Hedges’s g = 0.811, 95% CI: 0.086 to 1.536, P = 0.028, I² = 86.71%, n = 13), and lower FCR on d 35 (Hedges’s g = -0.358, 95% CI: -0.671 to -0.044, P = 0.025, I² = 21.67%, n = 11) and d 42 (Hedges’s g = -0.565, 95% CI: -0.852 to -0.277, P < 0.001, I² = 0%, n = 10). Compared with Control-sham, significant pooled effects were detected only for BW on d 42 (g = 0.420, P = 0.042) and FCR on d 35 (g = -0.274, P = 0.036), but not for BW on d 35 or FCR on d 42. No significant pooled effect was detected for d 42 breast muscle yield compared with Control-sham (Hedges’s g = -0.041, 95% CI: -0.27 to 0.188, P = 0.724, I² = 5.58%, n = 6) or Non-injection (g = -0.153, P = 0.291). Exploratory subgroup analyses identified significant between-subgroup differences by broiler strain and intervention category in selected BW and FCR comparisons (P = 0.006–0.030). Injection timing was significantly associated with d 42 FCR effect size relative to Control-sham (β = -0.1663, P = 0.0004), but not with other analyzed outcomes. No significant pooled differences in BW or FCR were detected between Control-sham and Non-injection. Overall, these findings provide quantitative evidence of potential market-age benefits from In-ovo interventions, while highlighting the need for standardized experimental designs and independent validation of specific intervention conditions to support reliable commercial application.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Animal Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 106, Taiwan, ROC",
    "Graduate Institute of Animal Vaccine Technology, College of Veterinary Medicine, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, 912301, Taiwan, ROC"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 3,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Liang-En Yu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Ti-Chun Chang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Yuan-Yu Lin"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0cg3xpftw78p2.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1016/j.psj.2026.107964",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13696211/",
  "id": "0cg3xpftw78p2",
  "issns": [
    "0032-5791",
    "1525-3171"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2026.107964",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "METABOLISM AND NUTRITION"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1103|Animal Nutrition and Physiology"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7221750872",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13696211?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13696211",
  "pmid": "42887314",
  "published": "2026-10-14",
  "publisher": "Elsevier",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0cg3xpftw78p2.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:36Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13696211",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2026.107964"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:46Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42887314",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42887314"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "openalex:1103|Animal Nutrition and Physiology",
      "subfield": "zoology-behaviour"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Market-age growth performance following in-ovo interventions in commercial broilers: A meta-analysis",
  "title_text": "Market-age growth performance following in-ovo interventions in commercial broilers: A meta-analysis",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:33:35Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0cg3xpftw78p2",
  "venue": "Poultry Science",
  "versions": []
}