Carcass characteristics and blood components of broiler chickens fed sorghum sk-5912 (sorghum bicolor l. moench) variety in mixture with different plant protein sources

Abstract

The effect of feeding sorghum SK-5912 variety with different plant protein sources to broiler chickens on the
carcass characteristics and blood parameters were investigated. Five diets were formulated in which maize with
boiled soya bean (MBSB) was used as the control and sorghum SK-5912 variety was combined with boiled soya
bean (SBSB), soya bean meal (SSBM), industrial ground nuts cake (SIGNC) and local ground nuts cake (LGNC)
tagged as diets 1 (control), 2, 3, 4 and 5 respectively. Three hundred broilers chicks ‘marshal strain’ were
randomly allotted to the dietary treatments with four replications in a completely randomized design. Feed and
water were supplied ad libitum and the feeding trial lasted for eight weeks. At the end of feeding trial eight birds
per treatment were randomly selected for carcass analysis, blood samples were collected for haematological and
serum biochemical analysis. Results showed that all the carcass and gut parameters measured did not differ
(P>0.05) significantly. Packed cell volume, Red blood cells, White blood cells and platelets were also not
influenced (P>0.05) by the dietary treatments. However, results obtained were inferior in the control diet. Serum
biochemical indices were also not affected except the high density lipoproteins (HDL) that was (P<0.05) affected
across the dietary treatments. Despite control diet had the best HDL (mmo/L), but all values obtained were
within the normal range. This study therefore, revealed that sorghum SK-5912 variety can completely replace
maize and favourably combine with different plant protein sources with no detrimental effect on the carcass yield
and blood constituents of broiler chickens.