F.U.C. Mmereole
Department of Animal Science,
Delta State University,
Asaba Campus, Asaba,
Nigeria
ABSTRACT
In a study to evaluate the effect of substituting groundnut cake (GNC) with rubber seed meal (RSM) on the heamatological and serological profiles of broiler chickens, one hundred and fifty day-old broilers (Anak 2000) were randomly assigned to five dietary groups. The replacement levels were 0% (RSM) and 100% GNC for diet group A, 25% RSM and 75% GNC for diet group B, 50% RSM and 50% GNC for diet C, 75% RSM and 25% GNC for diet D and 100 RSM and 0% GNC for diet E. The diets were formulated for starter and finisher phases, and were isonitrogenous and isocaloric. After eight weeks of rearing, blood samples collected from nine randomly selected birds per diet group were analyzed for red blood cell counts (RBC), white blood cells (WBC), haemoglobin count (HB), packed cell volume (PCV), coagulation time (CT), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) as well as serum protein contents. From the results of these indices, the following parameters were estimated: the mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concetration (MCHC). Results indicated that, with the exception of MCV, MCHC and coagulation time, all other haematological and serological parameters decreased with increasing levels of dietary RSM. Values obtained were, however, within safe margins. The results further indicated that birds fed diets with high RSM had superior MCV and MCHC compared to those on high GNC diets. It was concluded that improved processing of RSM to eliminate its anti-nutritional factors content may improve its feeding value, and make it a potentially useful feed ingredient in reducing feed costs in poultry in Nigeria without endangering the health of birds.
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How to cite this article
F.U.C. Mmereole, 2008. The Effects of Replacing Groundnut Cake with Rubber Seed Meal on the Haematological and Serological Indices of Broilers. International Journal of Poultry Science, 7: 622-624.
DOI: 10.3923/ijps.2008.622.624
URL: https://scialert.net/abstract/?doi=ijps.2008.622.624
DOI: 10.3923/ijps.2008.622.624
URL: https://scialert.net/abstract/?doi=ijps.2008.622.624