EFFECT OF DIETS FORMULATED ON THE BASIS OF CRITICAL ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS AT EACH LEVEL OF CRUDE PROTEIN ON BROILER CHICKS REARED UNDER TROPICAL ENVIRONMENT

Abstract

An experiment was conducted in order to evaluate the effect of diets formulated on the basis of essential amino acid at varying levels of crude protein on blood parameters and blood serum biochemical indices of broiler chicks. Four broiler starter diets containing different levels of crude protein (20, 21, 22 and 23%) were formulated. The diets were formulated to be isocaloric and met or exceeded the NRC (1994) nutrient requirements for all the essential amino acids. One hundred and ninety two day old unsexed Abor Acres broiler chicks were assigned to the four dietary treatments in a completely randomized design of three replicates each and 16 chicks per replicate. Haematological parameters (PCV, Hb, RBC, WBC, MCH, MCV and MCHC) and blood serum (albumin, total protein, glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride, urea, uric acid, aspartate amino-transferase, alanine amino- transferase, alkalin phosphatase and creatine kinase) indices were measured at 28d. PCV, Hb, RBC, WBC, uric acid, glucose, ALT, ALP and cholesterol were significantly (P<0.05) affected by dietary treatments. It was generally observed that most of the values for the haematological and blood serum parameters fell within the normal values except for WBC which was extremely high. It can be concluded from this study that even up to the lowest level of crude protein tested the haematological parameters and blood serum indices were not adversely affected.