BLOOD PROFILE OF STARTER BROILER CHICKENS FED DIET CONTAINING LEAF MEAL COMPOSITE AS ALTERNATIVE TO COMMERCIAL BROILER PREMIX

Abstract

The need to explore and harness the potentials green vegetable plants as part replacements for the more expensive conventional Vitamin-Mineral premix is of great importance. One hundred and eighty broiler chickens were used in a three weeks experiment to determine the effect of varying levels of Leaf Meal
Composite (LMC) as an alternative to vitamin-mineral premix using Telfairia occidentalis, Vernonia amygdalina, Piper quinenses and Ipomea batata on the haematology and serum biochemical profile of broiler chickens. The chicks were allocated to six dietary treatment each having thirty birds, replicated
thrice with ten birds each in a Completely Randomized Design. The birds were fed formulated diet, the test material was introduced from the first day, feed and water were provided ad libitum The composite leaf meal inclusion level was at 0.00 (0.25% premix), 0.125 (0.125% premix), 0.63 (0.0% premix), 0.125
(0.0% premix), 0.188 (0.0% premix) and 0.25% (0.0% premix) at the expense of a commercial premix and designated diets 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 respectively.Treatment one (T1) served as the control. Data was obtained for analysis. The result reveals that the LMC was not toxic to the birds, had superior disease fighting ability and were not anaemic. All the treatment levels were significant for MCV, MCH AND MCHC. AST and ALT reduced with increasing concentration of LMC, the test material was not toxic to the liver. Total Globulin and Glucose level reduced with increasing concentration of LMC. Leaf meal is
effective in reducing fat deposition. It can be concluded that this leaf meal composite had no detrimental effect on the haematology and serum biochemical profile of broiler chicken and can be used to replace commercial Vitamin-Mineral premix.