Date of Publication :20th April 2018

Abstract: The effect of feeding increasing levels of ginger powder on the haematological parameters of broilers was investigated. A total of 340 broilers were fed 1 of 4 corn-soybean basal diets that contained 0, 5, 10, or 15 g/kg of ginger powder until slaughter. At slaughter, samples of blood were collected from five chickens per treatment. Haematological analysis of the blood was conducted using Cell-Dyn 3500 Hematology System. Growth rate, feed efficiency, feed consumption, and mortality were measured and monitored. All broilers appeared healthy and no significant mortality occurred. The overall growth of birds was not adversely affected by the addition of ginger. Body weight gain of birds supplemented with ginger was significantly different than that of control birds during weeks 1 and 3. At week1, body weight gain was significant higher when ginger was supplemented at 5 and 10 g/kg than the control, which was similar when ginger was supplemented at 15 g/kg (P = 0.027). At week 3, body weight gain was significantly higher in the ginger-supplemented groups at all levels than the control group (P< 0.001). No significant difference was observed between the dietary groups at week 5. There was no significant difference across the treatment means in terms of feed consumption at weeks 1 and 5. Feed consumption was significantly higher for all the ginger-supplemented groups than the control group at week 3. The inclusion of ginger in broiler diets did not affect the haematological parameters of the chickens. However, there was a significant increase in the total white blood cells (WBC) as the ginger level increased in the diet. The WBC percentage was 47.9 for the control group and 79.6, 75.3, and 74.2 when ginger was added at 5, 10 and 15 g/kg, respectively (p< 0.001). Neutrophils percentage was 13.1, 24.6, 29.3, and 32.6 for broilers fed with ginger at 0, 5, 10, and 15 g/kg, respectively. Mortality was not affected by ginger inclusion. In conclusion, ginger inclusion did not adversely affect the palatability of the diet and did not cause anaemia for the broilers. It may enhance the growth rate of the broiler chickens

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