Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
Abstract
One hundred and sixty one-day-old male broilers (Ross 308) in a 6-wk period were conducted to 2 groups (with 4 replicates for each group), 20 chicks for a replicate. One group of these chickens was raised in normal temperature (NT) treatment and the other in cold temperature (CT) treatment to induce ascites. At the end of the experiment (wk 6), 2 chickens from each replicate were randomly selected and slaughtered. The heart was removed; the right ventricle was dissected away from the left ventricle and septum. Weights of right and left ventricles were determined separately. Plasma levels of, Uric acid, urea, glucose, total proteins, triglyceride, HDL, cholesterol, were determined at day 21 and 42. Mortality was necropsied daily to determine cause of death.Results in blood parameters showed that at day 42, birds in CT group, had greater (P < 0.05) plasma glucose& red blood cell and lower plasma protein, than NT group. Also at day 42, birds in CT group, had greater (P < 0.05) plasma cholestrol and lower uric acid, than NT group. Other blood parameters neither were nor significantly (P > 0.05) affected by treatments. Throughout the study, the right ventricle- to-total ventricle ratio as determine the incidence of ascites and total mortality percentage due to ascites of CT-treated birds at the end of experiment were greater (P < 0.05) than those of NT treated ones.
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