Effect of enzyme supplementation on haematology and serum biochemistry of broiler finishers fed cassava peel meal based diets

Abstract

A 28-day feeding trial was carried out to evaluate the effect of dietary enzyme supplementation on the haematological and serum biochemical characteristics of broiler finishers fed graded levels of cassava peel meal (CPM) based diets. Four experimental diets were formulated in which enzyme supplemented CPM replaced maize at 0, 25, 50 and 75% as T₁, T₂, T₃ and T₄ respectively. Two hundred chicks were allotted to the four dietary treatments with five replicates of ten (10) birds each in a completely randomized design. The diets were offered to the respective birds with clean water at ad-libitum. At the end of the feeding trial, four birds were randomly selected per replicate for haematological and serum biochemical determinations. Packed cell volume, haemoglobin, white blood cells, red blood cells, total protein, albumin, globulin, creatinine, cholesterol and glucose were determined. Results showed that all blood metabolites were significantly affected (p<0.05) among the treatments except for WBC, globulin, creatinine and cholesterol. This showed that the enzyme supplemented-CPM did not depress the fighting ability of the body system of the birds. It is therefore recommended that enzyme supplemented-CPM can be used to replace maize up to 50% in diets of broiler finishers without any deleterious effect on their blood characteristics.