HAEMATOLOGICAL PROFILES OF BROILER CHICKENS ADMINISTERED VARYING LEVELS OF MORINGA (Moringa oleifera) ETHANOLIC PLANT EXTRACTS

Abstract

Medicinal plants, since times immemorial, have been used to cure a lot of diseases ranging from bacterial, protozoan and viral infections. This experiment was carried out to access and evaluate the effect of Moringa oleifera ethanolic extract on the haematological parameters of broiler chickens. A complete randomized design was used for the experiment with a total of one hundred and eight (108) day-old broiler birds assigned to six experiment groups with 18 birds/group and each group having three (3) replicates of six (6) birds each. The results obtained during the first and the second blood samplings showed significant (P≤0.05) difference in values of Mean cell volume (MCV), Mean Cell Haemoglobin (MCH), Haemoglobin (HB), RBC (red blood cell), LYM (Lymphocytes), ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate), MCHC (Mean cell haemoglobin concentration) and HET (heterophil). The result showed that the administration of Moringa oleifera extract improved the haematological parameters of broiler chickens, thereby enhancing their health status. Based on these findings, it is recommended to supplement Moringa oleifera in the feed and drinking water of broiler chickens to act as a prophylaxis against poultry diseases and to enhance their growth and performance.