HAEMATO-BIOCHEMICAL INDICES OF FINISHER BROILER CHICKENS FED DIETARY LEVELS OF Calopogonium mucunoides (CALOPO)

The use of alternative feed resources in broiler feeds can ameliorate the problem of high cost of feed faced by poultry farmers. This study evaluated the haemato-biochemical indices of finisher broiler chickens fed dietary levels of Calopogonium mucunoides leaf meal (CLM). A total of 112-day-old unsexed broiler chicks were randomly allotted to four experimental diets to contain 0 %, 0.3 %, 0.6 % and 0.9 % CLM. Each treatment was replicated four times with seven birds per replicate in a completely randomized design. The obtained result showed significant (p<0.05) differences among the haematological values for packed cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin (Hb), mean cell volume (MCV), mean cell haemoglobin (MCH) and mean cell haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) while red blood cells (RBC) and white blood cells (WBC) count were not influenced by dietary effect. However, all haematological values observed were within the normal range for healthy birds. There were significant differences (p<0.05) in mean values of total protein, albumin, globulin, creatinine, AST and ALT in the serum biochemical profile of the birds. In conclusion, feeding CLM supplemented diets up to 0.9 % has no toxic effect on haemato-biochemical indices of broiler chickens. This implies broiler chickens fed CLM supplemented diets were healthy, nutritionally adequate and ready to ward off invasion by foreign bodies.