Leverage of Six-hour Bovine Blood Meal on Blood Profiles of Broiler Chickens

We investigated the effect of bovine blood meal (BBM) processed 6 hours post-storing on hematological and serum biochemical indices. A total of one hundred unsexed Abor Acre broiler chicks were randomly allocated into four dietary treatments of 25 birds and three replicates each in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD). Treatment 1 (T1) contained no bovine blood meal and served as the control while T2, T3, and T4 contained 1, 2, and 3% respectively to replace fish meal in the diet formulation. Adequate warmth, feeds, and water were provided ad libitum while routine vaccination and necessary medication were administered during the study period (8 weeks). By the end of the experiment, three birds per replicate were selected for sample collection serving for the determination of hematological (packed cell volume; PCV, hemoglobin; Hb, rell cell counts; RBC, while cell counts; WBCs, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration; MCHC, mean corpuscular hemoglobin; MCH, and mean corpuscular volume; MCV) and biochemical indices (Urea, Alkaline Phosphatase, Cholesterol, Albumin, and Total protein). Results showed significant (P<0.05) differences in PCV, Hb, MCV, WBC, neutrophils, and lymphocytes. T4 (3%) recorded the highest values in PCV (41.75%), Hb (11.00g/dl), and MCV (163.7f/l), but low values in WBC (9.94 x 103/ul), neutrophils (42.75%), and lymphocytes (46.00%). BBM 3% produced significant impacts on birds. Bovine blood meal at 3-5% is recommended for poultry dietary formulation as it is well-tolerated and devoid of any serious challenges (diseases). Further trials with keeping duration beyond 6 hours and another processing methods are suggested.