Effect of Molasses Supplementation on Live Weight Gain, Haematologic Parameters and Erythrocyte Osmotic Fragility of Broiler Chickens in the Hot-dry Season

Received: Revised: Accepted: June 13, 2014 July 19, 2014 August 05, 2014 The use of haematology as an index of health status is well known, just like the use of erythrocyte osmotic fragility and heterophil-lymphocyte ratio (H:L) as biomarker of oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of molasses supplementation through drinking water on live weight gain, haematologic parameters and erythrocyte osmotic fragility in 7-week-old broiler chickens during the heat stress of the hot-dry season. Thirty unsexed broiler chickens of Arbor acres strain were used for this study. At 4-week-old, the birds were randomly allotted to three groups of 10 birds each. Group I chickens served as control and were given only drinking water. Group II chickens were given 5 mL molasses and group III chickens 7 mL molasses per litre of drinking water. The percentage weight gain was higher (P<0.01) in group II and III chickens than control. Group III chickens had significantly higher mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (P<0.05) and mean corpuscular volume (P<0.01). Lymphocyte counts were higher in group II (P<0.01) and group III chickens (P<0.01), while neutrophil counts and H:L were lower in the treatment groups (P<0.01) as compared with control chickens. Group III chickens had significantly higher platelet count than control. At 0.1% NaCl, erythrocytes of both control and group III chickens were more fragile (P<0.01) than those of group II chickens. While, at 0.7% NaCl erythrocytes of control chickens were significantly more fragile than that of group III. Therefore, it was concluded that molasses increased live weight gain, enhanced haemopoiesis and ameliorated the effect of oxidative stress induced by the heat stress of the hotdry season in 7-week-old broiler chickens.