Growth performance, blood profile and carcass characteristics of broiler chickens fed graded level of wood charcoal-based diets

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of diet containing graded levels of wood charcoal on growth performance, blood profile and carcass characteristics of broiler chicken. One hundred and eighty chicks were allotted into 5 treatments of 36 birds each and 4 replicates of 9 birds each in a Completely Randomized Design. Five experimental diets were formulated with inclusion of wood charcoal at varying levels in which T1 (control) had 0%, T2 (2.5%), T3 (5.0%), T4 (7.5%) and T5 (10.0%). Feed and water were given ad libtum for a period of 8weeks. Data were collected on growth performance, blood profile and carcass characteristics of the chicken. Results showed that there were significant (P<0.05) differences in all the growth performance investigated, except for feed conversion ratio and total weight gain. The results showed that live weight, slaughtered weight, eviscerated weight and dressed weights were significantly different (p<0.05) among the treatments. However, plucked weight, thigh, wing and breast weights were not significantly different among the treatments. All parameters measured for haematology were not significantly different (p>0.05) among the treatments except for haemoglobin, and basophil. The result further revealed that no significant (P>0.05) difference was observed on all serum biochemical parameters among dietary treatment except alanine amino transferase. It was concluded that inclusion of wood charcoal had no deleterious effect on growth performance and serum biochemistry of broiler chicken.