Assessing the Hematology and Serum Biomarkers of Broiler Birds Fed Graded Levels of Kapok (Bombax costatum)

The study was conducted on broiler chickens to investigate the effects of graded levels of kapok seed meal fed on performance. A total of 288 broiler chickens were used. The broiler chickens randomly divided into four treatments groups (four experimental diets) T1 (control), T2 (0.5kg/100kg), T3 (1Kg/100kg) and T4 (1.5kg/100Kg). At the end of the feeding trial (eighth week), fifteen birds (5 per replicate) from each treatment group were randomly selected for blood collection. About 2ml of blood was collected per bird. The result showed a significant variation (P<0.05) in WBC and lymphocytes. The blood parameters were within the normal ranges for broiler chickens. The result showed that birds fed control diet have higher urea compared to those in treatment 3. It was concluded that the inclusion of kapok (Bombax costatum) seed meal up to 1.5kg/100kg in the diet of broiler birds had no adverse effect as indicated by hematological and serum chemistry of the birds.