Haematological and Serum Biochemical Parameters of Broiler Chickens Fed Varying Dietary Levels of Fermented Castor Oil Seed Meal (Ricinus communis L.) and Different Methionine Sources in South Western Nigeria

In this experiment, the effect of varying dietary levels of fermented castor oil seed meal (FCSM) and different methionine sources (DL-methionine and herbal methionine) on haematological and serum biochemical parameters of broilers. A total of 240 one-day-old Anak broiler chicks were used in the experiment lasted 56 days. The dietary experiment was laid out as a completely randomized design in a 4 × 2 factorial arrangement consisting of 4 dietary levels of FCSM (0, 50, 100 and 150 g/kg) and 2 methionine sources (DL-methionine and herbal methionine). The birds were weighed and randomly distributed into 8 treatments with 3 replicates of 10 birds each. During the starter phase of the experiment, haemoglobin, red blood cell count, mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration and eosinophil counts were higher (