Journal of Agricultural Science and Practice

The haematological responses of broiler chickens to dietary ginger and vitamin C were investigated. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary ginger in combination with graded levels of vitamin C on the haematological parameters of grower-finisher broiler chickens. One hundred and fifty (150) unsexed Agrited day-old chicks were used in the study. On arrival at the experimental site, chicks were brooded for 4 weeks. The experiment followed a completely randomised design (CRD), and after brooding, birds were randomly allotted to five dietary treatment groups. Each treatment group comprised 30 birds with three (3) replicates of 10 birds each. Ginger was fixed at 10 g/kg while vitamin C was graded as follows: Treatment 1 (T₁), the negative control, contained 0 g/kg ginger + 0 mg/kg vitamin C; Treatment 2 (T₂) contained 10 g/kg ginger + 100 mg/kg vitamin C; Treatment 3 (T₃) contained 10 g/kg ginger + 200 mg/kg vitamin C; Treatment 4 (T₄) contained 10 g/kg ginger + 300 mg/kg vitamin C; and Treatment 5 (T₅) contained 10 g/kg ginger + 400 mg/kg vitamin C. Birds received their experimental diets for 4 weeks, after which blood was collected from 9 birds per treatment group (3 per replicate). Birds in the treatment groups (T₂ –T₅) had significantly (p<0.05) higher packed cell volume (PCV) values than the control (T₁), with T₃ and T₄ demonstrating the highest values. Haemoglobin (Hb) and red blood cell (RBC) counts mirrored the PCV pattern. White blood cell (WBC) counts of T₃ –T₅ were significantly (P < 0.05) higher than those of T₁ and T₂. Neutrophil percentages were significantly higher in T₁ birds than in the treatment groups, while lymphocyte proportions showed the opposite trend. The treatment groups also exhibited higher lymphocyte : neutrophil (LYM:NEU) ratios. Dietary ginger and vitamin C improved haematological parameters of broiler chickens, indicating enhanced health and welfare. Results are presented in tabular form (Tables 1 and 2). The combination of 10 g/kg ginger and 200 mg/kg vitamin C is recommended as the optimal level.