EFFECTS OF DIETARY PREDNISOLONE SUPPLEMENTATION ON EGG PRODUCTION, COMPLETE BLOOD COUNT, AND HUMORAL IMMUNITY IN BROILER BREEDERS

Sayed, Mohamed Abdelhameed Mohamed; R.M., Abu-Elmagd; El-Sagheer, M. M.

doi:10.21608/epsj.2024.378925

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	EFFECTS OF DIETARY PREDNISOLONE SUPPLEMENTATION ON EGG PRODUCTION, COMPLETE BLOOD COUNT, AND HUMORAL IMMUNITY IN BROILER BREEDERS
Article 2, Volume 44, Issue 3, September 2024, Page 277-289 PDF (475.48 K)
Document Type: Original Article
DOI: 10.21608/epsj.2024.378925
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Authors
Mohamed Abdelhameed Mohamed Sayed¹; Abu-Elmagd R.M.²; M. M. El-Sagheer²
¹Assiut Uni., Faculty of Agri.
²Dep. of Poult.Prod., Fac. of Agric., Assiut Uni., Assiut 71526, Egypt.
Abstract
This study investigated the effects of dietary prednisolone supplementation on various parameters in Arbor Acres Plus broiler breeders. One hundred and twenty birds were randomly assigned to four treatment groups, each with three replicates of 10 birds. Birds in 4 groups received a basal diet supplemented with 0, 5, 10, or 20 mg prednisolone/kg feed for a period of 45 days. Egg production metrics, hematological indices, and antibody titers against Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) and Newcastle disease virus (NDV) were estimated. Results indicated no significant differences in egg number and hen day production across groups (P > 0.05). However, average egg weight decreased significantly with increasing prednisolone levels compared to the control (P < 0.05). Egg mass did not differ significantly among groups (P > 0.05). Chickens on the basal diet (control) tended to have lower red blood cell counts (P = 0.064) and higher mean corpuscular hemoglobin levels (P = 0.083) compared to those supplemented with prednisolone. Furthermore, broiler breeders in control group exhibited higher mean corpuscular volume values than the normal range, which were normalized by dietary prednisolone supplementation. Additionally, prednisolone supplementation increased mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration compared to the control group. No significant differences were observed in white blood cell count and percentages of various cell types (P > 0.05). However, birds supplemented with 10 and 20 mg prednisolone/kg tended to have a higher H/L ratio (P = 0.09) and percentage of monocytes (P = 0.08) compared to controls. Antibody titers against IBV and NDV did not differ significantly between prednisolone-supplemented and control groups (P > 0.05). In conclusion, dietary supplementation with prednisolone for 45 days had minimal impact on egg production parameters. Hematological parameters indicated potential benefits in erythrocyte indices in case of existing anemia without adverse effects on the immune response.
Keywords
synthetic glucocorticoids; broiler breeder chickens; macrocytic anemia; CBC; humoral immunity


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