Effects of Feed Type, Sex and Plumage Condition on Tonic Immobility and Blood Parameters in Broilers


Authors

  • G.N. Akpa Department of Animal Science, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
  • K.A. Koffi Department of Animal Science, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
  • M.R. Hassan Department of Animal Science, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
  • M. Kabir Department of Animal Science, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
  • S. Duru Department of Animal Science, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
  • S.M. Yashim Department of Animal Science, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3923/ijps.2007.218.222

Keywords:

Blood parameters, broiler, feed type, plumage condition, sex, tonic immobility

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of feed type, sex and plumage condition on tonic immobility and blood parameters in broiler birds. Eighty broiler birds of Anak (2000) breed were raised from day-old to 8 weeks of age. They were randomly divided into 4 groups of 20 birds each. A different type of feed was given to each group from day-old to 8 weeks of age. The birds were raised on deep litter in the first 4 weeks, and later they were raised in battery cages for the remaining 4 weeks. Tonic immobility of the birds was determined between 0 and 600 seconds. Blood parameters were also determined. Results obtained indicated that generally, tonic immobility was averagely good (less than 300 seconds) with birds fed with feed type 4 having the best (shortest) tonic immobility. Also, tonic immobility was influenced by plumage condition. The normal ranges of Packed Cell Volume (PCV), Haemoglobin (Hb) concentration and total plasma protein were used to arrive at the fact that feed type and plumage condition influenced tonic immobility and blood parameters. Males had better (shorter) tonic immobility than females.

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Published

2007-02-15

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 3 (2007)

Section

Research Article

License

Copyright (c) 2007 Asian Network for Scientific Information

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

How to Cite

Akpa, G., Koffi, K., Hassan, M., Kabir, M., Duru, S., & Yashim, S. (2007). Effects of Feed Type, Sex and Plumage Condition on Tonic Immobility and Blood Parameters in Broilers. International Journal of Poultry Science, 6(3), 218–222. https://doi.org/10.3923/ijps.2007.218.222