Journal of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine

The nutritional impact of fermented cocoa bean shell (bovine rumen filtrate) on the blood biochemistry of Ross 308 broiler chickens was assessed over a 56-day trial. Rumen filtrate, obtained at a ratio of 5:5, was combined with fresh cocoa bean shells, fermented, and allowed to air dry. Five different experimental diets were used with varying inclusion levels of dried fermented cocoa bean shell (FCBS) (0, 5, 10, 15, and 20%, respectively). With three replicates of 24 birds each, a total of 360 broiler chickens were randomly assigned into five treatment groups, consisting of seventy-two (72) birds per treatment in a completely randomised design. Following the feeding trial, two (2) birds per replicate were randomly chosen and bled (6 mL) via the jugular veins using a new sterile hypodermic needle and syringe for the blood profile analysis following standard procedure. Data on haematological and serum biochemical indices were subjected to ANOVA at α­=0.05 and treatment means were separated using the Duncan's Multiple Range Test. Result revealed that dietary FCBS supplementation had no significant effect (p>0.05) on the haematological indices of broiler chicken. The packed cell volume, haemoglobin, RBC and WBC of the broiler chicken obtained in this study ranged from 23.67 – 26.00%, 7.50 – 8.27 g/dL, 1.92 – 2.42 × 10⁶ µL and 12.75 – 13.45 × 10⁹ µL, respectively. Dietary FCBS had no significant influence (p>0.05) on the serum biochemical indices of broiler chicken except the alanine amino transferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and cholesterol. The cholesterol values increased as the inclusion levels of FCBS increased across the dietary treatments. The ALT (25.33 – 37.00 iu/L) and ALP (200.67 – 361.00 IU/L) values obtained in this study ranged significantly (p<0.05) across the treatment groups. These findings suggest that FCBS can be incorporated up to 10% in broiler chickens’ diet for the improved health status of the broiler chickens.