EFFECT OF VARYING LEVEL OF FISHMEAL SUBSTITUTION WITH SOYABEAN MEAL ON CERTAIN SERUM METABOLITES AND HAEMATOLOGICAL INDICES IN CHICKENS

Abstract

The effect of substituting fishmeal protein with soyabean meal protein on serum metabolism and some haematological indices, have been assessed, using Hyperco broiler chickens. Six diets (isonitrogenous and isocaloric) were fed, in which, 0, 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100% of dietary fishmeal (FM) protein was substituted with soyabean meal (SMB) protein. Results showed significant (P < 0.05) differences in clotting time, packed cell volume (PCV), red blood count (RBC) and mean corpuscular volume due to dietary treatments. Clotting time was longest for birds on diet 6 in which FM was completely with SMB and shortest for those on diet 3. The variations in the PCV, RBC and MCV followed no particular trend with dietary treatments. The hemoglobin concentration (Hb), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) did not differ significantly (P > 0.05). Total serum protein (TSP), albumin, globulin and albumin/globulin ratio, were not significantly (P > 0.05) influenced by the dietary treatments. However, significant (P < 0.05) differences were obtained in the serum urea levels as the values seemed to increase with increasing Revel of FM substitution with SBM. It was inferred, that an all-SBM feeding may have serious implications for the routine debeaking processes, especially in layers, given the much higher clotting time for birds on diet 6 m which there was 100% substitution of FM with SBM protein