Effect Of Processed Cassava Peel Meal On The Haematology Of Pullets

Abstract

Haematological characteristics was studied in 108 Dominant black pullets fed diets with varying levels of cassava peel meal (CPM). The birds were assigned into three experimental groups; A, B & C comprising 36 pullets each. The first group, Group A was given the control diets containing 0% CPM, while Groups C and B diets contained 10% and 20% CPM respectively. The packed cell volume (PCV) values in diet C at the 37 th week was significantly higher (P 0.05) difference among the various treatments. I. Introduction The recent global escalation of food crises call for sober reflection, owing to the fact that the world is facing a worsening food crises period unseen in the last 30years and that has a potential of leading to a catastrophe. Nigeria's population growth rate of over 3% per annum far outstrips the less than 2% annual growth in food production. Whereas her population increased at an annual rate of between 3% and 3.32%, total food production rose by no more than an average of 1.5% per annum between 1983 and 1990 (World Bank, 1988; 1995), and 1.03% per annum between 1990 and 2000 (CBN, 2002). The strong correlation that has been established between Nigeria's total GDP and the agriculture GDP suggests that the prospects of the non-oil sub- sector and the overall economy are closely tied to the performance of the agricultural sector (Eboh, 2005). One of the alternatives to partial replacement of maize in animal diets is processed cassava peel meal (Abu and Onifade, 1996; Ikurior and Onu, 1996; Eruvbetine et al., 1996; Salami 1999 and 2000). Aside from the lower values of crude protein and energy of the peel relative to those of maize, the greatest limitation to the use of cassava peels as a substitute for maize is that of it's hydrocyanic acid (HCN) content which is harmful to the monogastrics. Several processing methods have been applied to fresh cassava peels to reduce the cyanide content. The levels of various substances in the blood can provide clues to the animals condition. The best indicator of animals well being and it's potential for production is it's health status. Haematological profiles are important indicators of health and disease in animals and have become indispensable in the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of many diseases. II. Materials and Methods This experiment was carried out in Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria. Dominant black pullet chicks for this research were purchased from Global Millennium Chicks Hatchery in Ibadan, Nigeria. One hundred and eighty pullets were used in this research. The pullets were housed in an open-sided poultry house, which was partitioned into homogenous pens. The experimental diets consisted of a control diet without cassava peel meal; T1(0%) and others containing cassava peel meal at graded levels; T2 (10%) and T3 (20%) respectively. After soaking the cassava peels inside a closed metal drum for 5 days, the peels were removed from the sticky water and drained with a basket and subsequently sun-dried for 3 - 5 days. Haematological parameters determined included the packed cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin (Hb) concentration, total white bl.ood cell counts (total leucocytes count). Blood was collected from the jugular vein of the pullets into clean dry glass tubes containing a pinch of the anticolgulant, ethylene diamine tetracetic acid (EDTA) and taken to the laboratory for haematological analysis. The PCV, Hb concentration and total leucocytes count were evaluated on the 12 th , 24 th and 37 th weeks of the study. Four samples were collected from each group (treatment). The PCV was determined by the microhaematocril method (Coles, 1986), the Hb concentration was determined by the cyanomethaemoglobin method (Kachmar, 1970), while the total white blood cell count was determined using the method of Schalm, et al. (1975). III. Results and Discussion