Influence of Telfairia occidentalis Supplemented Diet on Growth Performance, Blood Profile, Immune Indices and Carcass Traits of Two Broiler Strains Raised Under Tropical Conditions

This study evaluated the effects of strain and dietary supplementation with Telfairia occidentalis leaves (TOL) on growth performance, blood profile, immune indices, caeca microbial counts, and carcass traits of broilers raised under tropical conditions. A total of 288 male one-day-old chicks (144 Arbor Acres [AA] and 144 Cobb 500) were randomly assigned to 24 replicates (six birds per replicate) and allocated to four dietary treatments: negative control (NC, basal diet without supplementation), positive control (PC, basal diet + 0.4 g/kg oxytetracycline), basal diet + 2 g/kg TOL, and basal diet + 4 g/kg TOL for 35 days. The TOL-4 birds (1731 g) exhibited heavier body weight gain than other birds (1542-1549 g) except the PC birds (P<0.05). AA broilers showed higher ether extract digestibility (63.74% vs. 60.33%) and lower fiber digestibility (47.135 vs. 51.89%) than Cobb 500. The PC birds had the highest ether extract digestibility (66.85%), whereas TOL-4 birds had the highest fiber digestibility (53.30%) (P<0.05). TOL-2 and TOL-4 diets reduced Salmonella spp. counts compared to other groups. The PC birds had lower granulocyte concentration. AA broilers exhibited higher granulocyte, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, and platelet counts and lower IL-1β than Cobb 500. White blood cells were lower in TOL-2 and TOL-4 groups. NC birds had lower immunoglobulins and higher IL-1β than other birds. A significant strain-diet interaction was observed for serum lipids, TNF-α, and IL-10. Dietary supplementation with TOL-4 improved growth performance and fiber digestibility in broilers. However, the impact of TOL on cecal microbiota, and selected serum lipids, blood profile, and immune indices was strain-dependent.