Blood biochemical profile of White Pekin ducks during starter phase fed different cereal based diets

Abstract

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of feeding different cereal (wheat and broken rice) based feed mixture on blood biochemical parameters of White Pekin ducks during starter phase. Day-old White Pekin ducks (N= 240) were sorted into three experimental groups having four replicates per group and 20 ducklings per replicate. Three types of feed mixture were prepared, Control diet with no broken rice (BR-0) and two experimental diets with broken rice, replacing 25 (BR-25) and 50 (BR-50) percent wheat.  Ducks were fed for a period of eight weeks. Replacement of wheat by graded level of broken rice didn’t exhibit any significant impact on any of the blood biochemical parameters of Pekin ducks under study. The blood glucose (mg/dl) level ranged from 166.57±13.76 in BR-0 to 188.53±8.17 in BR-50 group. The serum total protein, albumen and globulin levels (g/dl) were higher (P<0.05) in BR-0 group (7.02±0.42; 2.39±0.27 and 4.63±0.53) than BR-25 (6.71±044; 2.37±0.10 and 4.34±0.45) and lowest in BR-50(6.32±0.52; 2.05±0.03 and 4.27±0.53) group. The serum triglycerides content (mg/dl) ranged from 55.84±11.81 in BR-25 group to 69.06±9.42in BR-0 group. The serum cholesterol level was highest in BR-50 group and lowest in BR-0 group. The urea and uric acid content (mg/dl) was least in BR-25 group (4.88 ±0.98; 4.48± 0.25) and highest in BR-50 group 6.80±0.20; 5.69± 064). The serum level was also consistent amid the groups (range 7.56±0.10 to7.77±0.14, mg/dl). The study concluded that dietary substitution of wheat with broken rice had no significant effect on the blood biochemical parameters of White Pekin ducks during starter phase.