The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of in ovo injection of nanocurcumin (NC) and vitamin E (VE) on antioxidant status, intestinal histomorphology and growth performance of the hatched chicks. Fertile eggs (n=352) were allocated to 8 treatments with 4 replicates of 11 eggs each. At d 17.5 of incubation, the eggs were injected with 0.01, 0.03 and 0.05 mL/egg of NC and 0.03, 0.06 and 0.09 mL/egg VE solution into the amniotic cavity, and the rest two groups were used as sham and un-injected controls. The hatchlings from each treatment were randomly assigned to 4 replicates of 10 birds and reared until d 24 of age under heat stress (8 h daily at 35⁰C). The experimental design used was a completely randomized one. Results showed that superoxide dismutase activity in liver was increased (P<0.01) by IOI of 0.05 mL/egg NC in compare with control and sham groups on d 10. Total antioxidant capacity was decreased (P<0.05) by IOI of 0.03 and 0.06 mL/egg VE in compare with the control group. Liver glutathione peroxidase and malondialdehyde activities, blood heterophil (H) and lymphocyte (L) counts and H/L ratio, serum total cholesterol, HDL, LDL and VLDL levels and also crypt depth (CD) were not significantly affected by treatments on d 10. Villous height (VH) in the birds hatched from 0.01 and 0.03 mL/egg NC treatments were shorter than control group. The VH to CD ratio in NC treatments and 0.03 and 0.06 mL/egg VE were lower than controls (P<0.01). In ovo administration of NC and VE had no significant effects on growth performance of broiler chickens during 1-10 days of age; but decreased (P<0.05) feed intake during 1-24 d without affecting body weight gain and feed conversion ratio. Hatchability in 0.03 and 0.05 mL/egg NC treatments were decreased (P<0.05) in compare with the control treatment. In general, in ovo administration of NC improved antioxidant status of the hatchlings. In ovo injection of NC and VE didn’t have a significant effect on posthatch growth performance of the broiler chickens.

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