Effect of supplementing flaxseed powder on immune status in broilers

An experiment was carried out to evaluate the impact of flaxseed powder supplementation on the serum lipid profile and immune status of broiler chickens. A total of 150 Cobb chicks were assigned to five dietary treatment groups and reared until 42 days of age. The treatments included: T1-control group (basal diet formulated as per BIS, 2007), T2-basal diet with 5% flaxseed powder, T3-basal diet with 7% flaxseed powder, T4-basal diet with 10% flaxseed powder, and T5-basal diet with 12% flaxseed powder. The findings indicated that the inclusion of flaxseed powder had no statistically significant effect (p>0.05) on the immune response to Newcastle Disease (ND) and Infectious Bursal Disease (IBD) when compared to the control group. Additionally, there were no significant differences (p>0.05) in the relative weights of immune organs across all treatment groups at the conclusion of the trial (42 days). It was therefore concluded that dietary flaxseed powder, even up to a 12% inclusion level, did not influence the immune status of broilers under the conditions of this study.