Farhad Mohammadi; Farzad Bagherzadeh Kasmani; Kamal Shojaian; Mehran Mehri; Mohammad Amir Karimi Torshizi
Volume 17, Issue 2 , October 2015, , Pages 301-309
Abstract
Effect of adding Hibiscus sabdariffa (HS) in diet on performance and immune response of broilers was examined during aflatoxicosis using a total of 192 day-old Ross 308 male chicks in a completely randomized design with four treatments, four replicates and 12 chicks per each replicate. Treatments were ...
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Effect of adding Hibiscus sabdariffa (HS) in diet on performance and immune response of broilers was examined during aflatoxicosis using a total of 192 day-old Ross 308 male chicks in a completely randomized design with four treatments, four replicates and 12 chicks per each replicate. Treatments were include: 1. negative control (without additives), 2. positive control (2.5 mg aflatoxin B1/kg), 3. diet containing Hibiscus sabdariffa(10 g HS/kg) and 4. diet contaminated with aflatoxin and containing Hibiscus sabdariffa (2.5 mg AFB1/kg + 10 g HS/kg). Effect of treatments on feed intake was not significant. Weight gain of chicks in positive control treatment was lower than those birds in other treatments (P<0.001). These birds had higher feed conversion ratio (P<0.001). Antibody titer against Newcastle disease virus and sheep red blood cell in birds fed positive control and containing Hibiscus sabdariffa diets were lower and higher than those birds in negative control group, respectively (P<0.001). The least skin thickness after challenging with dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) was observed in birds fed positive control diet (P<0.001). Relative weight of bursa of Fabricius in chicks fed positive control and Hibiscus sabdariffa diets was lower and higher than that of negative control group, respectively (P<0.001). Based on results of this experiment, supplementation of Hibiscus sabdariffa to aflatoxin contaminated diets could ameliorate the effects of toxin on growth performance and immunity response of broilers.