Ameliorative effects of Citrullus lanatus (watermelon) juice on survival, performance and lipid peroxidation status of heat-stressed broiler chickens

Abstract

Heat stress is highly detrimental to the wellbeing of broiler chickens especially at the finisher stage (4-8 weeks) of production. Ameliorative effects of watermelon juice (WJ) supplement were investigated over three weeks period to monitor survival, performance and lipid peroxidation of finisher broiler chickens raised during hot season. Proximate and phytochemical analyses of the WJ were conducted. Then, one hundred five-week-old broiler chickens of 0.9kg average body weight were allotted into 4 groups- (Control, Test 1, Test 2 and Reference) each in 3 replicates in a completely randomised design. The control group received non-supplemented water, the test groups (T1 and T2) received 20% and 40% WJ respectively, and the reference group (RG) received 200mg of ascorbic acid (AA) /litre of water. Data were analysed using one way ANOVA. The results showed that relatively high survival rates were recorded in the test (T1: 84.0%, T2:100.0%) and reference (RG: 80.0%) groups compared to the control group (CG: 36.0%). Feed intake and weight gain improved significantly (p<0.05) in all the supplemented groups. The best ameliorative effects of the WJ on weight gain (1.60kg/b), Feed Conversion Ratio (0.90), survival rate (100%) and malodialdehyde (MDA) concentration (3.25) were obtained at 40% supplementation level (T2) compared to other treatments. In conclusion, WJ effectively alleviated negative impacts of heat stress in the finisher broilers at 40% supplementation level. Its supplementation is therefore recommended for broiler chickens to minimise economic loss commonly encountered in the tropical regions where extreme ambient temperature is a major constraint to poultry production.