HAEMATOLOGICAL RESPONSE OF LOCAL LAYING HENS FED JACKFRUIT (ARTOCARPUS HETEROPHYLLUS) LEAF MEAL

Abstract

A study lasting eight weeks was conducted to evaluate the haematological responses of 72 local laying hens fed different levels of jackfruit leaf meal (Artocarpus heterophyllus) (JLM). The hens were randomly allotted to four different treatment groups in a completely randomized design. Each treatment containing 18 hens was replicated 3 times with each replicate containing 6 laying hens. The JLM was prepared by plucking fresh leaves and air dried under room temperature until crispy. The dried leaves were milled into powder and stored in an air- tight container. The JLM was included in the basal feed at 0, 20, 40 and 60 g /kg of feed, representing T1, T2, T3, and T4 respectively. Results showed that there were high significant differences (p < 0.01) in PCV, RBC, and HB among the treatment groups. The values obtained, increased as the level of jackfruit leaf meal increased, but WBC, MCV, MCH and MCHHC did not vary significantly (p> 0.05) across the treatment groups, although WBC decreased as the JLM increased. It was therefore concluded that inclusion of Jackfruit leaf meal improved the blood profile of local laying hens.