EFFECT OF Calopogonium mucunoides LEAF MEAL ON THE HAEMATOLOGICAL INDICES OF BROILER CHICKEN

Abstract

A feeding trial was conducted to ascertain the effect of dietary inclusion of Calopogonmum mucunoides leaf meal on the haematological profile of broiler chicken. A total of sixty (60) broiler birds of 3 weeks old were used for the experiment. Four diets which contained 0.0, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6 % levels of the forage meal were formulated. The trial was in a completely randomized design of four treatments replicated into three with 5 birds per replicate. At the end of the feeding trial, three birds were randomly selected from each treatment and blood sample collected through the wing vein using a sterile and syringe into a sterile bottle that contains di amine tetraacetic acid (ETDA). The collected blood sample was taken to haematology laboratory for analysis. Results obtained showed no significant (P> 0.05) difference among haematological parameters such as Hemoglobin, white blood cell, Red blood cells, Packed Cell Volume, Mean Corpscular Volume, Mean Corpscular

Heamoglobin, Mean Corpscular Hamoglobin Concentration, Neutrophil, Eosinophil across all dietary treatment group, while significant (P < 0.05) difference were observed in Lymphocyte and Monocytes in favour of birds fed on Calopogonium mucunoides Forage meal diets. It is recommended that inclusion of C. mucunoides leave meal at the range of 0.4 – 0.6% can improve haematological profile of broiler chicken.