Effects of Different Levels of Hemp Seed (<i>Cannabis Sativa</i>L.) and Dextran Oligosaccharide on Growth Performance and Antibody Titer Response of Broiler Chickens

Abstract

A total of 384 Ross 308 male broilers were used in a randomised complete design for a period of six weeks. The experiment was conducted as a 4×2 factorial arrangement with 4 levels of hemp seed (HS) (0, 25, 50 and 75 g/kg) and 2 levels of dextran oligossacharide (DOS) (0 and 1 g/kg). Each of the 8 dietary treatments was fed to 4 replicate pens (12 birds/pen) from 1 to 42 d of age. The results indicated that diets containing 25 g/kg HS caused significant decrease in average daily feed intake and average daily gain (ADG), whereas total serum cholesterol, low and very low density lipoprotein, and TG levels was minimised at 75 g/kg of HS, but serum high density lipoprotein (HDL) was increased with increasing HS levels (P<0.01). Addition of 1 g/kg DOS diets compared with control diet, significantly increased ADG and HDL, and improved feed conversion ratio (P<0.05). Dietary DOS and HS had no significant effect on complete blood count, antibody production and relative weight of bursa and spleen in broilers (P>0.05). In conclusion, dietary HS and DOS can be used at their highest levels tested in the present study (75 g/kg of HS+1 g/kg of DOS) to decrease lipid levels of blood serum in broilers without any negative effect on performance.