Effects of herbal powder mixture supplementation on haematological and blood biochemical parameters of Ben Tre native chickens MD.BĐat 8 and 12 weeks of age

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of supplementing a herbal powder mixture (BTD) consisting of garlic, turmeric, ginger, and basil (2:1:1:1, dry matter) in diets on haematological traits, blood biochemical parameters, growth performance, and survival rate of Ben Tre Noi chickens MD.BĐ. A total of 450 chickens were reared for 84 days from one day of age and allocated in a completely randomised design with three treatments and three replicates: control (0% BTD), 0.5% BTD, and 1.0% BTD. The results showed that at 8 weeks of age, the treatment supplemented with 0.5% BTD had higher red blood cell (RBC) count, haemoglobin (HGB) concentration, and white blood cell (WBC) count compared to the other two treatments (p<0.05). By 12 weeks of age, WBC remained higher in the 0.5% BTD treatment (p<0.05), while blood biochemical parameters remained stable, and no adverse effects on liver or kidney function were observed. Regression analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) showed that blood physiological and biochemical parameters were closely related to growth performance and feed efficiency of chickens.