Impact of Dietary Inclusion of Rice Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS) on Hematological Parameters of Commercial Broiler Chicks

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the impact of dietary inclusion of rice-derived distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) on the hematological parameters of commercial broiler chicks. A total of 2250 day-old broiler chicks were randomly assigned to treatment groups, each with five replicates. The birds in the control group were fed a basal diet fulfilled with the all nutrient requirements. The experimental diets contained rice DDGS at inclusion levels up to 16 per cent, respectively. At the end of the experiment, blood samples were collected from one bird per replicate for hematological analysis. The results showed significant differences (P<0.05) in red blood cell (RBC) count, packed cell volume (PCV) and hemoglobin levels between the control and DDGS-treated groups, although the numerical differences were minimal. Non-significant differences (P>0.05) in white blood cell (WBC) count and differential leukocyte counts between the control and DDGS-treated groups were observed. These findings revealed that the inclusion of rice DDGS up to 16% in broiler diets does not negatively affect key hematological indices. It was concluded that rice DDGS can be incorporated into broiler diets at inclusion levels up to 16% without adverse effects on hematological parameters.