Effects of Feeding Various Protein Concentrates on Performance, Haematological and Serum Biochemical Indices of Broiler Chickens.

Abstract

A four-week feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of different protein concentrates on the performance, haematological, and serum biochemical indices of broiler chickens. A total of 120 broiler chickens, were randomly distributed to four treatments (diets) at four weeks of age, each consisting of 30 birds with three replicates (10 birds per replicate) in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD). The experimental diets included T1 (commercial protein concentrate, control), T2 (groundnut cake-based concentrate), T3 (soya bean meal-based concentrate), and T4 (50% groundnut cake-based concentrate + 50% soya bean meal-based concentrate). Performance parameters assessed were feed intake, weight gain, and feed conversion ratio. At the end of the trial, three birds per treatment were randomly selected for haematological and serum biochemical analysis. The productive performance of the birds showed no significant (P>0.05) difference across treatments except for final body weight. Final body weights were 1528.30, 1823.00, 1980.00, 1890.00 g/bird T1, T2, T3 and T4 respectively, with T3 (Soya bean meal-based concentrate diet) recording the highest value. Significant differences (P<0.05) were observed in packed cell volume, haemoglobin concentration, and red blood cell counts, but no significant differences were found for other haematological parameters. The serum biochemistry differed significantly in most parameters, except for urea, conjugated bilirubin, total bilirubin, and alkaline phosphatase. Conclusively, diets compounded with commercial concentrates and on-farm formulated concentrates can be fed to broiler chickens without detrimental effects on performance and health.