IMPACT OF GRADED LEVELS OF POMEGRANATE MOLASSES ON GROWTH PERFORMANCE AND BLOOD PROFILE OF HEAT- STRESSED TURKEYS

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of supplementing pomegranate molasses in drinking water on the growth performance, digestive organs, body measurements, and hematological parameters of local turkeys under hot summer conditions. A total of 150 one-day-old turkey chicks were randomly divided into five equal groups, each containing three replicates of ten birds. The control group (C), received plain drinking water, while the other groups were provided with 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% pomegranate molasses for T1, T2, T3, and T4 groups, respectively. The experiment was carried out during hot summer conditions. Data were collected from 4 to 16 weeks of age for body weight (BW), feed consumption (FC), and feed conversion ratio (FCR). The results revealed that supplementing pomegranate molasses at 10% and 15% levels significantly (p ≤ 0.05) improved final body weight, daily gain, FCR, and body depth compared with C group, while FC was not significantly affected (p > 0.05). Moreover, pelvic bone length showed a significant increase (p = 0.0368) in birds treated with 10% and 15% pomegranate molasses compared with other treatments. Red blood cell counts (RBCs) increased significantly (p = 0.0255), and lymphocyte percentages were higher (p = 0.0462), whereas the heterophil-to-lymphocyte ratio decreased (p = 0.0268), indicating improved physiological stress tolerance. Insignificant differences (p > 0.05) were observed in the relative weights or lengths of digestive organs among treatments, confirming the safety of pomegranate molasses supplementation. It can be concluded that adding 10–15% pomegranate molasses to turkey drinking water effectively enhances growth performance, hematological status, and body development, thereby improving physiological adaptation and resilience to heat stress under hot summer conditions.