Effect of Vitamin C Supplementation on Performance and Blood Biochemical Parameters in Broiler Chicken at Leh-Ladakh

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) supplementation on performance and haemato-biochemical parameters in broiler chicken at cold arid high altitude region of Leh- Ladakh, India. One hundred and twenty (120) day old broiler chicks hatched locally at high altitude, cold hypoxic conditions of Ladakh at 12000 ft above mean sea level (AMSL) were randomly selected and divided into 12 groups of 10 chicks each (4 dietary treatments x 3 replicates) in completely randomized design. Chicks were placed in a solar poultry house with mesh floor and reared under uniform husbandry conditions (14 h light/day and 25–32°C). The basal diet (T1) contained crude protein (CP) 210g/kg, 3200 Kcal/kg ME, 30 g/kg total calcium and 0.5g/kg total phosphorus. Experimental diets T2, T3 and T4 contained an additional 100 mg, 200 mg and 400 mg of vitamin C/kg feed, respectively. During the experiment, feed and water were provided ad libitum. There were significant differences (P<0.05) in body weight, feed conversion ratio and cumulative feed intake among the different experimental groups. Serum concentrations of total cholesterol, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), glucose and total protein in chicks that received dietary vitamin C supplementation decreased significantly (P<0.01) in comparison to control group. By contrast albumin and uric acid concentrations significantly increased (P<0.05), whereas the serum concentrations of creatinine, triglyceride, and glutamate pyruvate transaminase (GPT) showed no significant alterations. From the above study it may be concluded that, supplementation of dietary vitamin C would be beneficial for production performance and haemato-biochemical parameters in broiler chicken at cold arid high altitude conditions.