Effect of Level and Type of Mushroom on Performance, Blood Parameters and Natural Coccidiosis Infection in Floor-Reared Broilers

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the feeding of four medicinal mushrooms via fungus myceliated grain (FMG) at three levels on production performance, blood parameters and natural coccidiosis oocyst excretion in floor reared broiler chickens. Three hundred day-old female broiler chickens were weighed and randomly assigned to nine different treatment groups. Each group was replicated three times with 10 birds per replicate pen. The four mushrooms utilized were Shiitake (Lentinus edodes), Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum), Oyster (Pleurotus ostreatus) and Cordyceps (Cordycepss inensis). Each mushroom was supplemented at a 5 and 10% inclusion level into a basal meal ration, and compared to a control ration containing no mushrooms. Body weights were assessed on days 28 and 49. Bursa weights, Eimeria oocyst counts, blood differential percentages and mortality rates were measured at 49 days of age. Eimeria oocyst counts, blood differential percentages and both bursa and body weights differed significantly (P ≤ 0.05) between treatment groups. Treatment 8 (Oyster 5%) produced the highest average body weight at 3.21 kg, while treatment 5 (Cordyceps 10%) produced the lowest at 2.33 kg. A higher oocyst count and increased heterophil percentage was observed in treatment 6 (Reishi 5%). There were some basic trends in the patterns of heterophil and lymphocyte percentage elevation in treatment 3 (Shiitake 10%). The results from this experiment demonstrate the ability of certain mushrooms to influence body weight of broiler chickens and show some immune enhancement via the bursa of Fabricius.