Blood chemistry in broilers fed with golden button meal (Thitonia diversifolia) in the final phase

Abstract

The incorporation of protein sources of vegetable origin in the formulation of diets for broilers has emerged as a nutritional alternative in the last years, as a need to establish a sustainable development of the poultry industry, especially on small and medium producers. The high cost of processed food, especially the source of protein, is one of the main difficulties. Therefore, it can be replaced, in part, by a more economical source, such as the gold button, is an important alternative for the small or medium producer, which in this way could improve its profitability. The objective of the present work was to evaluate the effects of the inclusion of different increasing levels (5, 10 and 15%) of gold button flour in food portions and its effect on blood biochemistry of broiler chickens found in the rural zones of the city of Villavicencio. These included: serum glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, total proteins, serum albumin, serum globulin, alanine aminotransferase, uric acid and urea nitrogen. A total of 300 broilers 21 days old were distributed in metabolic cages according to a completely randomized experimental design in four treatments: control (T0), with gold button flour (5%, T1); (10%, T2), (15%, T3) and five repetitions of 15 chickens each. The use of gold button flour in broiler feed at levels of 15% did not cause detriment

to or an increase in normal values, nor did it produce negative effects
on the characteristics of the blood values. This study indicates the feasibility of including this vegetable resource as an adequate type of protein in balanced portions for broiler chickens.