Effects of different dietary levels of palm pollen (Phoenix dactylifera L.) on the humoral immunity and hematology of broiler blood

Abstract

Background and Objective: In this study, we evaluated the effects of palm pollen (pp) added to the diet of broiler chicks on the immune response against both Newcastle disease virus (NDV) and infectious bursal disease (IBDV) and blood protein. Materials and Methods: Ninety-six 1-35-day-old chicks (Ross 308) were distributed randomly in four treatment groups, with four replicates of six chicks in each replicate. Chicks whose initial weight was 38 g were purchased from a local hatchery in the holy city of Karbala. The following treatments were used: T1 (control) birds were administered a basal diet, T2 birds were administered a 2 g kgG 1 diet, T3 birds were administered a 4 g kgG 1 diet and T4 birds were administered a 6 g kgG 1 diet. Results: The ELISA test titer revealed significant (p<0.05) differences among various treatment groups at the end of the experiment. Chicks fed a 4 g kgG 1 palm pollen diet were found to have the highest serum total protein, albumen and globulin compared to the control group. The highest values of packed cell volume, hemoglobin concentration, red blood cells and white blood cells in all treatments were found in chicks fed palm pollen. Conclusion: It was concluded that supplementation of palm pollen to the diets of broiler chicks improved humoral immunity and blood hematology.