Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran
2 Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran
3 Department of Basic Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran.
4 Division of Immunology, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran
Abstract
A total of 300 one-day-old male broilers )Ross 308( were used in present study to investigate the effect of different copper sources (copper sulfate, copper methionine, copper dihydrogen phosphate, copper carbohydrate and copper nanoparticles) on performance, carcass characteristics, immune system and bone characteristics of broiler chickens. The results showed that feeding broilers with diets containing copper methionine, copper dihydrogen phosphate, and copper nanoparticles increased body weight compared to the control treatment (P<0.05). Also, broilers fed diets containing copper methionine and copper dihydrogen phosphate had lower feed conversion ratios than the control treatment (P<0.05). Carcass weight, breast and thigh weights, and internal organs were not affected by the experimental treatments, but the weight of the bursa of Fabricius in broilers fed diets containing copper methionine, copper dihydrogen phosphate, and copper nanoparticles was significantly higher than the control treatment (P<0.05). The use of copper methionine in broiler feeding increased tibia bone weight and diameter compared to other experimental treatments (P<0.05). Feeding broilers with diets containing copper dihydrogen phosphate and copper carbohydrate increased delayed hypersensitivity compared to control, copper methionine, and copper nanoparticles (P<0.05). SRBC responses in birds fed copper methionine, copper dihydrogen phosphate, and copper carbohydrate were significantly higher than in birds fed control and copper nanoparticles (P<0.05). In general, considering the positive effect of copper methionine on bone function and properties and the effect of copper dihydrogen phosphate on improving the immune system, replacing copper sulfate with these organic sources in broiler diets is recommended.
Keywords
Main Subjects
)