HAEMATOLOGY AND SERUM ANTIOXIDANT STATUS IN LAYING BIRDS AS INFLUENCED BY PHYTOBIOTIC OF BLACK PEPPER (Piper nigrum) POWDER

Abstract

This study was done to evaluate the effect of Black pepper (BP) supplementation on health status of laying birds. One hundred and sixty-eight ISA Brown layers (25 weeks old) was used which was randomly allotted in a completely randomized design to four treatments; T1 (control, 0.0%), T2 (0.3% BP), T3 (0.6% BP), T4 (0.9% BP), with six replicates and seven birds per replicate. Haematology and serum antioxidant activities were assessed using a standard procedure. Antioxidant activity in the serum showed that ferric-reducing antioxidant power was elevated with BP at 0.6 and 0.9% (2.287 ug AAE/g and (2.176 ug AAE/g) compared with control (P<0.05). Black pepper supplementation did not have any significant effect on the haematological parameters assessed. The result obtained shows that Black pepper inclusion in the diets of laying birds increased antioxidant activities. Black pepper can be added to diets up to 0.9% without any negative effect on the health of laying birds.