Effect of Zinc Supplementation and Varietal Different Cereal based Diet on Blood Chemistry and Tissue Changes in Rhode Island Red Chicken

Background: Black wheat is rich in polyphenols and anthocyanin pigments which causes health benefits. Zinc mineral is important for protein synthesis and has major role to play in disease resistance and reproductive health improvement in poultry. Methods: The present study was aimed to assess the effects of zinc supplementation through diverse cereal-based diets on blood chemistry and tissue changes in Rhode Island Red (RIR) chickens. Total 270-day-old RIR chicks were divided randomly in nine Treatment groups. Group T1 was kept as control while in T2 Nano zinc @30 ppm, T3 inorganic zinc @30 ppm, T4 black wheat @ 10 kg/100 kg of feed, T5 black wheat @ 10 kg/100 kg of feed + nano zinc @30 ppm, T6black wheat @ 10 kg/100 kg of feed + inorganic zinc @30 ppm, T7 wheat cultivar @ 10 kg/100 kg of feed, T8wheat cultivar @ 10 kg/100 kg of feed + Nano zinc @30 ppm and T9 wheat cultivar @ 10 kg/100 kg of feed + inorganic zinc @30 ppm was supplemented. Blood samples were collected at 90thdays post treatment and histopathological changes were noted. Result: Significantly increased (Pd”0.05) blood glucose was recorded with no significant difference in the haematological values in treatment groups. Gross lesions in liver, were seen only in T2 and T3 while in kidney these were seen only in T6 and T3. Histopathological lesions in liver and intestine were severest in group T2 while in kidney in T6. Supplementation of zinc-cereal enriched diets can have impact on avian health, highlighting their crucial significance in poultry nutrition.