EFFECTS OF DIETARY SUPPLEMENTATION WITH DIFFERENT CROP-RESIDUE BIOCHARS ON HAEMATOLOGICAL AND SERUM BIOCHEMICAL INDICES OF BROILER CHICKENS
This study evaluated the effects of dietary supplementation with biochars produced from four crop residues on haematological, serum biochemical and electrolyte indices of broiler chickens. A total of 150 one-day-old broiler chicks were randomly allotted to five dietary treatments in a completely randomised design. The treatments comprised a control diet without biochar (T1), and diets supplemented with 0.4% African breadfruit husk biochar (ABHB; T2), soybean husk biochar (SBHB; T3), Bambara nut husk biochar (BNHB; T4), or melon seed husk biochar (MSHB; T5). Each treatment contained 30 birds distributed among three replicates of 10 birds each. The feeding trial lasted 56 days. At the end of the trial, blood samples were collected from two birds per replicate t determine haematological, serum biochemical, and electrolyte indices. Dietary biochar source significantly (P < 0.05) affected most serum electrolyte and biochemical parameters measured. Serum sodium, potassium, chloride and bicarbonate concentrations were generally higher in selected biochar treatments, whereas calcium and phosphorus concentrations varied among treatments. Biochar supplementation also significantly affected serum total protein, albumin, globulin, glucose, creatinine, urea, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase, whereas bilirubin was not significantly different among treatments. Haematological responses showed significant differences in packed cell volume, haemoglobin, white blood cell count, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular haemoglobin, mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration, lymphocytes, heterophils, monocytes and eosinophils, while red blood cell and basophil counts were not significantly affected. Despite these differences, the observed values generally indicated no obvious adverse effect of the dietary biochars on haematological or biochemical status. The results suggest that supplementation with 0.4% crop-residue biochars, particularly biochars derived from Bambara nut and melon seed husks, can be incorporated into broiler diets without apparent impairment of physiological health. Further studies are warranted to establish the effects of biochar feedstock, pyrolysis conditions and dietary inclusion level on nutrient utilisation, gut health and long-term safety.
Keywords: biochar; crop residues; broiler chickens; haematology; serum biochemistry; electrolytes; poultry nutrition.
