Effects of substituting groundnut cake with ammoniated full-fat neem kernel meal on haematobiochemical components of broilers

Effects of substituting groundnut cake (GNC) with ammoniated full-fat neem kernel meal (AFFNKM) on heamatobiochemical components of broiler chickens were investigated in the semi-arid zone of Nigeria. Eighty-day-old broiler chicks (straight runs) were brooded, weighed and randomly assigned to four dietary treatments of 20 chicks each in a completely randomized block design (CRBD). Each treatment had five replicates with five birds per replicate. AFFNKM replaced groundnut cake (GNC) at 0 (control), 5, 10 and 15% dietary levels, designated Ti, Tz, T3 and T4. The study lasted nine weeks. Red Blood Cell (RBC) counts in Ti (3.86 x 106 mm3) and 14 (3.49 x 106 mm3) were significantly (P0.05) from that ofTz (3.27 x 106 mm3). White Blood Cell (WBC) count and Haemoglobin (Hb) concentration in T[, Tz and T4 were similar (P>0.05) but their values in Ta which were similar (P>0.05) to those in T^ and T4 differed significantly (P0.05) differences among all the treatment groups with respect to all the serum biochemical indices. No mortality was recorded due to treatment effect. Results showed that ammoniated full-fat neem kernel meal (AFFNKM) can replace groundnut cake up to 15% of the total diets of broiler chickens in the semi-arid zone without any adverse effect to their haematobiochemical components. Keywords: Neem kernel meal, broilers, groundnut cake, heamatobiochemical componentsSahel Journal of Veterinary Science Vol. 6 (1) 2007: pp. 21-2