HAEMATOLOGICAL RESPONSE OF BROILER CHICKENS FED VARYING DIETARY LEVELS OF PAWPAW (Carica papaya) LEAF MEAL

Abstract

This study was conducted to examine the haematological response of broiler chickens fed diets mixed with Pawpaw leaf meal (PLM). Ninety six day old broiler chicks were divided into four treatment with three replicates, each of eight birds in a completely randomized design. Treatment 1 was control, treatments 2, 3 and 4 were fed diets mixed with Pawpaw leaf meal at levels 3g/kg, 5g/kg and 7g/kg of feed respectively. Among the haematological parameters evaluated, Pack cell volume (PCV), Red blood cell (RBC) and Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) were significantly (P<0.05) affected by the inclusion of PLM. Mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), Haemoglobin (Hb), White blood cell (WBC), Mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH), Lymphocytes, Neutrophils, Eosinophils, Monocytes, were not significantly(P>0.05) affected by treatments . It was concluded that Pawpaw leaf meal could be added to boiler bird’s diet up to 7g/kg of feed as it shows beneficial effects on the blood profile of the birds.