Effect of Dietary Supplementation of Organic Chromium on Performance, Carcass Traits, Oxidative Parameters, and Immune Responses in Commercial Broiler Chickens

• Published in: Biological trace element research 2012-06, Vol.147 (1-3), p.135-141
• Main Authors: Rama Rao, S. V, Raju, M. V. L. N, Panda, A. K, Poonam, N. S, Krishna Murthy, O, Shyam Sunder, G
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: abdominal fat; Age; Age Factors; Animal Feed; Animals; Animals, Newborn; Antibodies; antibody formation; Antioxidants; Biochemistry; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biotechnology; Body mass; Body Weight - drug effects; broiler chickens; Bursa of Fabricius; carcass characteristics; Carcasses; Chickens; Chromium; Chromium - administration & dosage; Chromium - pharmacology; Climatic conditions; climatic factors; Diet; Diet - veterinary; Dietary Supplements; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Eating - drug effects; Feed conversion; Feed efficiency; Female; Glutathione peroxidase; Glutathione Peroxidase - blood; glutathione reductase; Glutathione Reductase - blood; glutathione-disulfide reductase; Houses; Immune response; Immune system; Immunity (cell-mediated); Immunity, Cellular - drug effects; Life Sciences; Lipid peroxidation; Lipid Peroxidation - drug effects; Liver; lymphocyte proliferation; Lymphocytes; Meat - analysis; Meat quality; Newcastle disease; Nutrition; Oncology; Organometallic Compounds - administration & dosage; Organometallic Compounds - pharmacology; Oxidative stress; Oxidative Stress - drug effects; Peroxidation; Physical growth; Poultry; Poultry housing; Random Allocation; ready-to-cook foods; rearing; Spleen; Thymus; Tropical Climate; Tropical environments; tropics; Vaccination
• ISSN: 0163-4984; 1559-0720
• DOI: 10.1007/s12011-011-9314-4

An experiment was conducted to study effect of supplementing graded concentrations (0, 100, 200, 300, or 400 μg/kg diet) of organic chromium (Cr) on performance, carcass traits, oxidative stress, and immune responses in commercial broiler chickens reared in open-sided poultry house under tropical climatic conditions. Each diet was fed ad libitum to eight replicates consisting of six birds in each pen from 1 to 42 days of age. Body mass gain and feed efficiency at 21 and 42 days of age and relative mass of liver, abdominal fat, and ready to cook yields at 42 days of age were not affected (P > 0.05) by supplementing organic Cr in broiler diet. Body mass loss during pre-slaughter holding period (12 h) reduced and relative breast mass increased nonlinearly (P  0.05) with Cr supplementation in broiler diet. Relative mass of lymphoid organs (bursa, spleen, and thymus) and antibody production to Newcastle disease vaccination were not affected (P > 0.05) by the treatments employed. The cell-mediated immunity (lymphocyte proliferation ratio) increased nonlinearly with dietary Cr concentration. The results of the present study indicated that supplementation of organic Cr did not influence body mass and feed efficiency. However, supplementation of the Cr reduced pre-slaughter holding losses, increased the relative mass of breast, and increased antioxidant status and lymphocyte proliferation in broilers reared in tropics.