EFFECT OF FEEDING Faidherbia albida POD MEAL ON HAEMATOLOGICAL AND SERUM BIOCHEMICAL INDICES OF BROILER CHICKENS

Abstract

The study was conducted to determine the effect of feeding Faidherbia albida (Gawo) on haematological

and serum biochemical parameters of broiler chickens. Five experimental diets were formulated

containing 0, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, and 10.0% Faidherbia albida as T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5 respectively. A total of

one hundred and sixty (160) broiler birds were fed with these diets in a completely randomized design.

The experiment lasted six (6) weeks. Blood samples were collected from thirty birds; six birds from each treatment randomly selected from each treatment. Blood samples were taken via the wing vein of the birds and was transferred into sample bottles and taken to the laboratory for analysis. The results showed that Pack cell volume and haemoglobin concentration were lower (P<0.05) for the 5% Faidherbia fed group compared to the other treatments. Feeding up to 10% Faidherbia did not influence haematological parameters considered in this study except band cells. There was no significant (P<0.05) difference (P>0.05) between the treatment means in cholesterol, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, creatinine and total protein. However, the feeding of Faidherbia albida influenced (P<0.05) the aspartate transaminase, albumin and bilirubin levels in the serum of broiler chickens. Aspartate transaminase and albumin were higher in the 7.5% Faidherbia albida group compared to the control. Based on the results obtained, it was concluded that Faidherbia albida can be included in the diet of broiler chickens up to10% without any adverse effect on their haematological and serum biochemical constituents.