EFFECT OF METHIONINE AND VITAMIN E SUPPLEMENTATION IN THE RATION ON PRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE AND SOME PHYSIOLOGICAL CHARACTERS OF BROILER CHICKENS REARED UNDER HIGH TEMPERATURE

Abstract

This study was conducted in the poultry field - Animal Resources Department - College of Agriculture and Forestry - University of Mosul, for (56 days) from the 1st of September to the 27th of October 2010, The objective was to evaluate effects of methionine or vitamin E supplementation for reducing the heat stress effect in the broiler chicks reared under high temperature and its reflection on productive performance and some physiological characters. Three hundred and sixty one day old chicks were reared normally until 21 days of age. At age of 22 days, the chickens were weighted and randomly distributed into 4 treatments (3 replicates, 30 birds each). Chicks In the four groups were exposed to a cyclic artificial temperature of (25-36-25)°C and the treatments were T1 Treatment 1: (control) (heat stress),T2 Treatment 2: (heat stress, adding 1g methionine/Kg feed),T3 Treatment 3: (heat stress, adding 0.6g vitamin E/Kg feed),T4 Treatment 4: (heat stress, adding 1g methionine + 0.6g vitamin E/Kg feed).The results showed that T4 causes a significant increase (p£0.05) in live body weight, weight gain, breast weight as compared with T1, significant increase of total RBC, Ηb concentration, PCV, serum total protein, serum albumin and the reduction in body temperature, glucose, triglycerides, ALT, AST in serum, liver and heart glycogen concentration, percentage liver and heart fat in T2,T3 and T4 No significant effects in food consumption, dressing percentage, edible organs and mortality percentage.