Growth Performance, Carcass Characteristics, Haematological and Histological Indices of Broiler Finisher Birds Reared on Varying Levels of Alum Treated Litter
Main Article Content
Abstract
The study aimed to determine the growth performance, carcass characteristics, haematological and histological indices of broiler finisher birds reared on varying levels of alum treated litter. A total of 300 mixed sex of broiler birds at 4 weeks of age were allotted to 4 treatments groups in a completely randomized design (CRD )with 5 replicates of 15 birds each. Treatment 1 served as the control, while treatments 2, 3 and 4 contained (200g, 400g, and 600g) of alum per 5kg liter respectively. Results showed that the body weight gain, ADWG, FCR, feed intake and ADFI values were higher (p<0.05) in favor of the treatment groups (T2, T3 and T4). Treatment groups had better (p<0.05) carcass and organ quality than the control group. In hematology results, it was only the values for WBC were significant (p<0.05) across the treatment and the value was highest (p<0.05) in control birds. Furthermore, histological indices determined were not significant (p>0.05). It was therefore,concluded that the treatment of broiler litter with alum up to 600g/5kg litter had no adverse effect on their performance and can be employed as a litter management protocols for improving performance in broiler production.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.