Abstract:
This experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of different
levels of ghee residue inclusion in finisher diets on the blood serum
metabolites and haematological indices of broiler chickens at the
finisher stage. Two hundred and sixteen broiler chickens were
randomly assigned to six treatment groups in a RCBD, with three
replicates per treatment. The treatments comprised diets containing 0%
(T1), 3% (T2), 6% (T3), 9% (T4), and 12% (T5) ghee residue, where
T1–T5 were self-formulated diets, while T6 was a commercially
procured finisher diet. At 42 days, blood was collected from the
jugular vein. Serum metabolites were analysed using CRD, and results
showed significant (p < 0.05) differences among dietary treatments.
Birds were fed the T1 diet recorded the highest values for triglycerides
(40.10 mg/dl), HDL (73.50 mg/dl), LDL (57.43 mg/dl), total
cholesterol (138.47 mg/dl), and serum protein (3.90 g/dl), compared to
the T1 (30.43 mg/dl, 59.03 mg/dl, 40.23 mg/dl, 105.50 mg/dl, and 2.77
g/dl, respectively). Birds fed the commercial finisher diet (T6)
exhibited intermediate levels. In contrast, serum glucose concentration
decreased significantly (p<0.05) with higher ghee residue inclusion,
declining from 240.33 mg/dl in T1 to 221.10 mg/dl in T5.
Haematological parameters were also significantly (p<0.05) affected
by dietary treatments. The highest red blood cell count (3.96 ×
10⁶/µl), haemoglobin (12.96 g/dl), PCV (40.10%), and MCV (129.67
fl) were observed in T5, compared to lower values in T1. White blood
cells differentials, including neutrophils and lymphocytes, also differed
significantly among treatments. In contrast, eosinophil and monocyte
counts were not significantly affected (p > 0.05), and basophils were
not detected in any of the treatments. The findings show indicate that
inclusion of ghee residue in broiler finisher diets at levels up to 12%
significantly influenced the blood profile without causing any harmful
effects and indicating that it can be considered a promising alternative
feed ingredient in broiler production.
