E-ISSN 2223-0343

Haematology and blood chemistry of finisher broiler chicks fed Hungry rice (Digitaria exilis) grains as replacement for maize

Ukim CI1 and Obun CO2

1Tertiary Education Trust Fund, 6 Zambezi Street, Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja, Nigeria; 2Department of Animal Production and Health, Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, PMB 1020, Federal University Wukari,Taraba State, Nigeria

 
Abstract

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of replacing maize with Hungry rice grains on haematology and blood chemistry of finisher broiler chickens. One hundred and fifty 28 day–old chicks were randomly assigned to five dietary treatments in a complete randomized design with thirty birds per treatment (replicated three times). The broilers  were fed with diets containing 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% Hungry rice rice grains designated as T1 (control), T2, T3, T4 and T5 respectively. The experimental diets and clean drinking water were supplied ad libitum throughout the experimental period of five weeks. At the end of the feeding trial, blood samples were collected from three broilers per replicate for haematological and biochemical parameters. The result of the experiment showed no significant differences (P>0.05) among the treatments for packed cell volume, red blood cell count, white blood cell count and mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) but mean corpuscular volume (MCV) in T1 was significantly (P<0.05) different from those on diets T2, T3, T4 and T5. The serum biochemical indices of albumin, globulin and glucose concentrations showed no significant (P>0.05) differences across the treatment groups but the creatinine, urea nitrogen, cholesterol and aspartate transaminase significantly increased (P<0.05). Alanine transaminase of birds in diets T1 and T2 was similar (P>0.05) but significantly (P<0.05) different from those in diets T3, T4 and T5. In conclusion, inclusion of 100 % Hungry rice rice grains as a replacement for maize meal has no adverse effects on the haematological and serum biochemistry of finisher broiler chicks.

Keywords: Blood chemistry; Hungry rice rice grains; maize; broiler chicks
 
To cite this article: Ukim CI and CO Obun, 2015. Haematology and Blood Chemistry of finisher broiler chicks fed Hungry rice (Digitaria exilis) grains as replacement for maize. Res. Opin. Anim. Vet. Sci., 5(4): 205-209.
 
 
 

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