HEMATOLOGICAL AND SEROLOGICAL EVALUATION OF DIETARY INCLUSION OF DIRECT FED MICROBES AS PROBIOTIC SOURCE ON LAYING BIRDS

Abstract

56 days study was conducted using a total of 120 laying hens that were twenty six weeks old to evaluate the haematological and serological evaluation of dietary inclusion of Direct Fed Microbes (DFM) as probiotic source on laying birds. There were thirty layers in each treatment and ten birds per replicate. Four experimental diets was formulated; T1 (0.05% DFM), T2 (0.10% DFM), T3 (0.15% DFM) and T4 as the control with zero DEM. Feed and water were given ad libitum throughout the duration of the experiment which lasted 56 days. The experimental design used was Completely Randomized Design (CRD). At the end of the experiment, blood samples were collected from the birds and taken to the laboratory for haematological and serum biochemistry analysis. Data obtained in each measured parameter was subjected to analysis of variance. The result shows that DFM did not significantly (P>0.05) affect the Haemoglobin Concentration, Packed Cell Volume, White Blood Cell and Mean Cell Haemoglobin Concentration of the laying birds. However, the red blood cell of T4 was significantly (P<0.05) lower but similar to that of T1. The findings from this study shows that DFM included to the diets of the laying birds did not significantly (P>0.05) affect the serum chemistry of the laying birds. All the serum chemistry parameters examined were within the normal range for healthy birds. It was therefore recommended that broiler diets could be supplemented with not more than 0.15% DFM dietary inclusion for normal blood profile and better performance of laying birds.