Blood Profile and Cost Benefits of Broiler Chickens Fed Fish Meal Alternatives

Abstract

The experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of fish meal alternatives (maggot, termite, grasshopper and lizard meals) on the haematology, serum biochemical profile and cost benefit analysis of producing broiler chickens. One hundred and fifty (150) broiler chicks (Marshall Breed) were used for the experiment. The chicks were assigned into five dietary treatments in triplicates (30 chicks per treatment and 10 chicks per replicate): control (T1) had conventional fish meal (65%), (T2) maggot meal, (T3) termite meal, (T4) grasshopper meal and (T5) lizard meal as fish meal alternatives with 5% inclusion level at starter phase and
2.5% at finisher phase. The experiment lasted eight weeks and data were obtained on blood indices and cost benefit. At the end of the research, six birds per treatment (two per replicate) were randomly selected, bled and blood samples were collected for analysis. The results obtained for haematological parameters showed no significant (P>0.05) differences in all except in neutrophils, mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC). The highest value (5.33) of neutrophils level was obtained in T1 while birds on lizard meal (T5) had the least value (2.00). Birds in T2 recorded the lowest values of 29.35pg and 62.34fl for both MCH and
MCV respectively, while birds in T3 recorded highest values in both parameters. Birds in T5 recorded the least MCHC value (33.00%), while those in T4 recorded the highest (34.66%). In serum biochemical profile, total protein, globulin, cholesterol and aspartate transaminase (AST) showed no significant (P>0.05) differences among the treatment means, while albumin
and alanine transaminase (ALT) of birds where there were significantly (P<0.05) differences among the dietary treatments. In cost benefit analysis, birds in T2 (maggot meal) had highest (N564.31) gross profit followed by T3 (N540.02). In conclusion, maggot meal posed no adverse effects on the evaluated blood profile of the birds and as such recommended for use in place of fish meal.