Effect of different levels of honey on physiological, growth and carcass traits of broiler chickens during dry season

Abstract

p> The objective of this trial was to investigate the effect of different levels of honey in drinking water on the responses of broiler chickens during dry season in hot humid tropics. Three hundred Oba Marshall broiler chicks were used for this study. The day-old chicks were randomly assigned to five treatment groups with each treatment having four replicates of 15 birds. The first 4 treatment groups were daily supplied drinking water without honey (0H), with 20 ml (20H), 40 ml (40H) and 60 ml (60H) of honey per liter of water. The fifth group received drinking water supplemented with 500 mg vitamin C per liter of water (C). Records on daily weight gain (WG) and feed intake (FI) were taken. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) was calculated as the ratio of gain to feed consumed. The supplementation of honey in the drinking water for broiler chickens in 60H during hot dry season in the hot humid tropics improved some stress indices, body weight gain and relative spleen weight. </p

Full text

Acta argiculturae Slovenica, 108/1, 45–53, Ljubljana 2016
doi:10.14720/aas.2016.108.1.5 COBISS: 1.01
Agris category code: L02, L51
EFFECT OF DIFFERENT LEVELS OF HONEY ON PHYSIOLOGI
CAL, GROWTH AND CARCASS TRAITS OF BROILER CHICKENS
DURING DRY SEASON
Oyegunle Emmanuel OKE 1, 2, Faith O. SORUNGBE 1, Monsuru Oladimeji ABIOJA 1, Oluwad-
amilola OYETUNJI 1, Anuoluwapo Olamide ONABAJO 1
Received January 13, 2016; accepted May 17, 2016.
Delo je prispelo 13. januarja 2016, sprejeto 17. maja 2016.
1 Federal University of Agriculture, Department of Animal Physiology, PMB 2240, Abeokuta, Nigeria
2 Corresponding author, e-mail: emaoke7@yahoo.co.uk
Eect of dierent levels of honey on physiological, growth and
carcass traits of broiler chickens during dry season
e objective of this trial was to investigate the eect of
dierent levels of honey in drinking water on the responses of
broiler chickens during dry season in hot humid tropics. ree
hundred Oba Marshall broiler chicks were used for this study.
e day-old chicks were randomly assigned to ve treatment
groups with each treatment having four replicates of 15 birds.
e rst 4 treatment groups were daily supplied drinking water
without honey (0H), with 20 ml (20H), 40 ml (40H) and 60
ml (60H) of honey per liter of water. e h group received
drinking water supplemented with 500 mg vitamin C per liter
of water (C). Records on daily weight gain (WG) and feed in-
take (FI) were taken. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) was calcu-
lated as the ratio of gain to feed consumed. e supplementa-
tion of honey in the drinking water for broiler chickens in 60H
during hot dry season in the hot humid tropics improved some
stress indices, body weight gain and relative spleen weight.
Key words: poultry; broiler chickens; animal nutrition;
honey; growth; physiological traits; carcass traits; hot dry sea-
son
Učinek dodajanja različnih količin medu na ziološke, rastne
in klavne lastnosti pitovnih piščancev v sušnih razmerah
Cilj raziskave je bil proučiti vpliv dodajanja različnih ko-
ličin medu v pitno vodo pitovnih piščancev med vročim in su-
him obdobjem v vročih in vlažnih tropih. Za to študijo smo
uporabili 300 pitovnih piščancev provenience Oba Marshall.
Enodnevni piščanci so bili naključno razporejeni v pet posku-
snih skupin, s štirimi ponovitvami s po 15 piščanci v vsaki sku-
pini. V prvih štirih skupinah so piščanci dobivali pitno vodo
brez medu (0H), z 20 ml (20H), 40 ml (40H) in 60 ml (60H)
medu na liter vode. Peta skupina je dobivala pitno vodo, dopol-
njeno s 500 mg vitamina C na liter vode (C). Merili smo dnevne
priraste (WG) in količino zaužite krme (FI). Izkoriščanje krme
(FCR) smo izračunali kot razmerje med prirastom in porabo
krme. Dodatek medu v pitni vodi za pitovne piščance v skupini
60H v vročem in sušnem obdobju v vročih in vlažnih tropih je
izboljšal nekatere pokazatelje stresa, pitovne lastnosti in pove-
čal relativno maso vranice.
Ključne besede: perutnina; pitovni piščanci; prehrana ži-
vali; med; rast; zološke lastnosti; klavne lastnosti; vroče sušno
obdobje
bient temperature and high humidity which have been
reported to aect the productive performance of chick-
ens (Ahmad et al., 2005; Daghir, 2008). Great losses are
being encountered in broiler production in Nigeria every
year due to the eect of heat-stress. e loss is attributed
to the fact that the birds have rapid metabolism, high
body temperature and no sweat gland (Abioja, 2010).
In South Western Nigeria, environmental tempera-
ture is oen higher than the recommended temperature
of 18–21 °C (Charles et al., 2002) for optimal productiv-
ity of growing broiler chickens particularly during the
1 INTRODUCTION
Broiler chicken production plays a vital role in food
security for the fast increasing human population in Ni-
geria due to the short production cycle, high feed e-
ciency and growth rate of the birds. e birds are how-
ever faced with the challenges of coping with the ever
changing elements of weather, especially the ambient
temperature typically during growing-nishing phase in
the tropics. is is partly due to the fact that the tropics
and sub-tropics are faced with the challenge of high am-

Acta agriculturae Slovenica, 108/1 – 2016
46
O. E. OKE et al.
dry season which usually occurs between the month of
November and March. As a result of this peculiarity, a
passable and appropriate measures that can ameliorate
the adverse eect of the environmental factors to the bar-
est minimum to ensure optimum broiler production in
the hot dry season are essential.
Some of the methods recommended to alleviate
the adverse eects of high ambient temperature includ-
ing housing, ventilation, air conditioning and cooling
systems are now issues that are probably applicable on a
regional basis (Armstrong et al., 1999; Yalcin et al., 2001).
However, some of these methods cannot be applied in
developing countries including Nigeria because of their
impracticability and high cost. Instead, nutritional ma-
nipulation with its low cost is a common approach in
poultry production (Austic, 1985; Leeson, 1986; Shane,
1988). Results from various studies (Sayed and Shoeib,
1996; Yahav and McMurty, 2001; Curca et al., 2004; Ara-
das et al., 2005; Gonzalez-Esquerra and Leeson, 2006;
Ramnath et al., 2008; Zhang et al., 2009; Abioja et al.,
2011) on several measures taken to abridge the eect of
heat stress in poultry with the use of several therapeutic
agents remain inconclusive. Moreover, several natural
substances that are rich in antioxidants have also been
used on heat-stressed chickens. ese include bee pollen
(Wang et al., 2005), ginger root (Zhang et al., 2009), etc.
e use of honey has however received a meagre atten-
tion.
Honey is a complex product and contains natural
anti-oxidants. Antioxidants play a major role in the pro-
tection of cells from reactive oxygen species (ROS) by
reducing chemical radicals and preventing the process
of lipid peroxidation (Yu, 1994). When compared to
synthetic vitamin C that is conventionally used, honey
is more readily available while vitamin C may not be
readily available especially to the local farmers. Honey
is a good example of natural substance that contains
phytochemicals such as vitamin C, thiamine, riboavin,
pyridoxine, pantothenic acid, nicotinic acid, phenolic
compounds, and enzymes glucose oxidase, catalase, and
peroxidise. Honey has been used by man for several pur-
poses especially as an antioxidant. However, there is a
dearth of reports on the use of h oney in poultry produc-
tion. Our previous study (Abioja et al., 2010) on the in-
clusion levels of honey (0, 10, 20 ml) in drinking water of
broiler chickens neither aected the growth nor reduced
the body temperature while there was no change in the
physiological responses and haematology on adding 0
and 10 ml of honey but slight change in physiological re-
sponses occurs on adding 20 ml of honey. erefore this
trial was carried out to determine if an increase in the in-
clusion levels of honey (20, 40, 60 mls) in drinking water
of broiler chickens from day-old to 8weeks old would in-
uence more changes in the physiological responses and
also bring about the possibility of better performance of
broiler chickens. is study therefore aimed at determin-
ing the eect of dierent levels of honey on the physio-
logical response of broiler chicken during hot-dry season
2 MATERIALS AND METHODS
2.1 EXPERIMENTAL SITE
e experiment was carried out at the poultry unit
of Directorate of University Farms (DUFARMS) and the
laboratory, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta
(FUNAAB). e University is located on latitude 7°10’N,
longitude 3°2’E and altitude 76 m above sea level. It lies
between South-Western part of Nigeria with a prevailing
tropical climate with a mean annual rainfall of 1,037 mm,
and annual mean temperature and relative humidty of
34 °C and 82 %, respectively (Amujoyegbe et al., 2008).
e vegetation in the University represents the inter-
phase between the tropical rain forest and the derived sa-
vannah. e average maximum and minimum tempera-
ture during the period of the experiment was 35.5 °C and
23.8 °C, respectively while relative humidity was 92 %.
2.2 EXPERIMENTAL ANIMALS AND PROCE
DURE
ree hundred Oba Marshall broiler day-old chicks
purchased from a reputable hatchery at one day of age
were used for this study. e brooding temperature was
maintained at 35 °C for the rst two days then decreased
gradually until 21 days of age. e light regime was 23L:
1D. e vaccination schedule for commercial broiler
chickens was followed. e chicks were randomly as-
signed to ve treatment groups with each treatment hav-
ing four replicates of 15 birds in a completely randomized
design at day 21. e rst 4 treatment groups were daily
supplied drinking water without honey (0H), with 20 ml
(20H), 40 ml (40H) and 60 ml (60H) of honey per liter
of water. e h group received drinking water supple-
mented with 500 mg vitamin C per liter of water (C).
e birds were kept on deep-litter oor in an open-
sided poultry house. e birds were oor-brooded for
three weeks on wood-shavings. Additional sources of
heat were provided during the brooding period. e
chicks were fed ad libitum with standard starter mash
and thereaer with nisher mash. Water at ambient tem-
perature was supplied ad libitum throughout the period
of the experiment. e composition of the diet is shown
in Table 1.

Acta agriculturae Slovenica, 108/1 – 2016 47
EFFECT OF DIFFERENT LEVELS OF HONEY ON PHYSIOLOGICAL, GROWTH ... OF BROILER CHICKENS DURING DRY SEASON
2.3 DATA COLLECTION
2.3.1 GROWTH PERFORMANCE
Bodyweight of the birds in each replicate were mon-
itored using a sensitive scale every week during the ex-
periment. Records on daily weight gain (WG) and feed
intake (FI) were taken. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) was
calculated as the ratio of gain to feed consumed.
2.3.2 RELATIVE WEIGHTS OF ORGANS
At 56 days of age, 2 birds per replicate were slaugh-
tered. e birds were dissected and the weights of liver,
kidney, lungs, spleen, breast meat, gizzard, drum stick,
shank, thigh, tibia, small intestine, proventriculus, ab-
dominal fat pad, gastrointestinal tract, bursa of Fabricius,
thymus, heart were taken and relative weights were de-
termined as a percentage of bird’s bodyweights.
2.3.3 HAEMATOLOGY AND SERUM ANALYSIS
Blood samples were collected from two randomly
picked birds from each replicate once a week via brachial
vein into ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA) an-
ticoagulant and immediately mixed gently to avoid clot-
ting. Blood samples were analysed for haemoglobin (Hb),
Packed Cell Volume (PCV), Total Erythrocyte Count
(TEC), Total Leukocyte Count (TLC) and Dierential
Leukocyte Count (DLC). Hb estimation was determined
by cyanmethaemoglobin method and PCV by microhe-
matocrit method (Bernard et al., 2000). TEC and TLC
were determined using Neubaur’s hemocytometer and To-
luidine blue (0.015 %) saline as diluent (Brar et al., 2002).
e blood lms stained with Wright’s stain (Benjamin,
1985) was studied for DLC. Mean cell volume (MCV),
mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), and mean corpus-
cular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) were calculated
(Stockham and Scott, 2002).
e blood samples were also analyzed for serum me-
tabolites including serum total protein, albumin, globu-
lin and creatinine. Serum glucose was determined col-
orimetrically using the method described by Braham and
Trinder (1969). e total serum protein was determined
according to the method of Colowick and Kaplan (1955)
while serum albumin and globulin was determined using
bromocresol purple method of Varley et al., (1980). Serum
corticosterone was determined using radio immunoassay
(RIA) technique as described by Darras et al. (1992).
2.4 STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
All data collected were subjected to analysis of vari-
ance using the procedure of SAS (1999). Signicantly
dierent means were compared using Duncan Multiple
Range Test.
3 RESULTS
3.1 SERUM CHEMISTRY
e eect of dierent levels of honey on serum pa-
rameters in broiler chickens at nisher phase during hot-
dry season is shown in Table 2. e blood glucose level
in 0H and 60H treatment groups were similar but higher
than those birds in 40H, 20H and C treatment groups.
Ingredient Starter phase Finisher phase
Maize 46.00 50.00
Soybean meal 18.50 12.00
Groundnut cake 15.00 11.00
Fish meal 2.00 2.00
Wheat oal 12.45 19.05
Bone meal 2.00 2.00
Oyster shell 3.00 3.00
Salt 0.25 0.25
Premix 0.25 0.25
Methionine 0.30 0.25
Lysine 0.25 0.20
100 100
Calculated
Crude protein (%) 23.05 19.91
M.E (Kcal/kg) 2816 2809.6
Ether extract (%) 3.93 3.89
Crude ber (%) 3.67 3.79
Calcium (%) 1.75 1.74
Phosphorus (%) 0.43 0.41
Table 1: Composition of diets for broiler (starter and nisher
phases)
Preglednica 1: Sestava popolne krmne mešanice za pitovne
piščance (začetna in končna faza pitanja)
* 1 kg of premix contains: Vitamin A – 10,000,000 IU; Vitamin
D3 – 2,000,000; Vitamin E – 20,000 IU; Vitamin K – 2,250 mg;
iamine B1 – 1,750 mg; Riboavin B2 – 5,000 mg; Pyridoxine
B6 – 2,750 mg; Niacin – 27,500 mg; Vitamin B12 – 15 mg; Panto-
thenic acid – 7,500 mg; Folic acid – 7,500 mg; Biotin – 50 mg; Choline
chloride – 400 g; Antioxidant – 125 g; Magnesium – 80 g; Zinc –
50 mg; Iron – 20 g; Copper – 5 g; Iodine – 1.2 g; Selenium – 200 mg;
Cobalt – 200 mg

Acta agriculturae Slovenica, 108/1 – 2016
48
O. E. OKE et al.
Moreover, birds on 40H, 20H and C had also similar blood
glucose levels. e level of total protein in the birds in C
and 60H treatment groups were similar but signicantly
higher (p < 0.05) than in birds in 20H and 0H treatments
while those of 40H, 20H and 0H were similar. e triglyc-
eride level of 60H was signicantly higher than those of
other treatment groups. Birds in 40H, 0H, 20H treatment
groups had similar level of triglyceride but lower than that
of C treatment group. Birds in 0H and C treatment group
were similar but higher in aspartate amino-transferase lev-
el than those of the birds in 20H. Birds in C and 60H treat-
ment group were higher in alanine amino-transferase level
than those of 40H treatment group. Also 0H 20H, 60H
and C treatment groups were similar in alanine amino-
transferase levels. Creatine kinase level in 40H was signi-
cantly higher than those of other treatment groups apart
from the birds in 0H which had similar levels. Birds in C
treatment group had similar level of creatine kinase than
those in 20H but lower than the birds in the other treat-
ment groups. Birds in 0H had a signicantly higher level
of creatinine kinase than those of 20H and C treatment
groups. Birds in 0H had higher (p < 0.05) level of serum
corticosterone than those of the other treatment groups.
e level of serum corticosterone recorded in the birds in
20H treatment group was lower (p < 0.05) than those of
0H, 60H, 40H and C treatment group.
Parameters 0H 20H 40H 60H Vit C SEM
Glucose (mg/dl) 124.65a101.90b107.95b125.9a95.8b5.13
Total Protein(g/l) 52.45b52.70b58.55ab 61.15a63.65a1.62
Albumin (g/l) 36.05 34.55 39.45 39.05 41.10 1.20
Globulin (g/l) 16.40 18.15 19.10 21.60 22.55 0.99
Triglyceride(mg/dl) 145.80c123.20c148.25c226.80a185.70b12.50
AST (IU/l) 145.80a112.45b135.60ab 130.85ab 140.40a4.40
ALT (IU/l) 36.70ab 36.40ab 21.85b45.75a57.45a4.38
Creatine kinase (IU/l) 129.15ab 107.90cd 136.15a119.35bc 100.00d4.63
Corticosterone (ng/mL) 237.50a157.00c198.50b203.50b189.50b8.75
Table 2: Eect of dierent levels of honey on serum parameters of broiler chickens at nisher phase
Preglednica 2: Učinek različnih ravni dodajanja medu na parametre krvnega seruma pitovnih piščancev v končnem obdobju pitanja
a, b, c Means within a row with dierent superscripts dier signicantly (p < 0.05). AST – Aspartate amino-transferase; ALT – Alanine amino-transferase
Parameters
Level of honey and vitamin C
SEM0H 20H 40H 60H Vit C
PCV (%) 30.50 27.50 32.00 32.50 37.00 1.57
Haemoglobin (G/Dl) 9.85 8.80 10.55 10.20 11.35 0.44
Red blood cell 2.60 2.30 2.75 2.80 3.15 0.15
White blood cell 10.85 10.20 11.20 10.00 9.80 0.29
Heterophil 30.00 32.00 36.50 30.50 35.50 1.80
Lymphocyte (%) 70.00 66.00 63.50 68.50 63.50 1.85
Eosinophil (%) 0.00 0.50 0.00 0.00 0.50 0.13
Basophil (%) 0.00 0.50 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.10
Monocyte (%) 0.00 1.00 0.00 1.00 0.50 0.27
HL 0.43 0.51 0.58 0.45 0.56 0.04
MCH (µµG) 38.03 38.18 38.26 37.13 36.32 0.95
MCV (µ3) 117.85 119.31 116.39 117.25 118.21 2.64
MCHC (%) 32.33 32.00 32.87 31.61 30.70 0.35
Table 3: Eect of dierent levels of honey on haematological parameters of broiler chickens at nisher phase during hot-dry season
Preglednica 3: Učinek dodajanja medu na hematološke parametre pitovnih piščancev v končni fazi pitanja v vročem in suhem obdobju
MCV – Mean corpuscular volume, MCH – Mean corpuscular haemoglobin, MCHC – Mean Corpuscular haemoglobin concentration,
HL – Heterophil : lymphocyte ratio, PCV – Packed cell volume

Acta agriculturae Slovenica, 108/1 – 2016 49
EFFECT OF DIFFERENT LEVELS OF HONEY ON PHYSIOLOGICAL, GROWTH ... OF BROILER CHICKENS DURING DRY SEASON
Table 3 shows the eect of dierent levels of honey on
haematological parameters of broiler chickens at nisher
phase during the hot-dry season. ere was no signicant
eect of dierent levels of honey on the haematological
parameters of the birds among the treatment groups at the
nisher phase.
3.2 GROWTH PERFORMANCE
Eect of dierent levels of honey on the perfor-
mance of broiler chickens is presented in Table 4. e
weight gain of the birds in 60H treatment group was
higher than those of the birds in the other treatment
groups. e birds in 20H treatment group had similar-
weight gains as those of 40H and C groups. e weight
gain in 0H was lower than those of the other treatment
groups. Also the feed intake of the birds in 0H was lower
than those of the other treatment groups whose values
were similar. e feed conversion ratio was similar across
the treatment groups (p > 0.05).
3.3 RELATIVE WEIGHTS OF ORGANS
Eect of dierent levels of honey on the relative
weights of organs of broiler chickens is presented in Ta-
ble 5. e body weights of the birds in 20H and 40H were
signicantly higher (p < 0.05) than that of OH group. e
weights of the birds in 60H and C group were similar but
higher than the weights recorded in the other treatment
groups. e relative weights of liver in broiler chickens in
0H group were signicantly higher (p < 0.05) than those
of other treatment groups. e liver relative weights of
the birds in 40H goup were higher than those of 20H,
60H and C group. e relative weights of kidney of the
birds in 40H, 60H and C group were similar but signi-
cantly higher (p < 0.05) than those of 0H and 20H. e
relative weight of the lungs of the birds in 0H was sig-
nicantly higher than those of other treatment groups.
e heart weights of the birds in 0H group were signi-
cantly higher (p < 0.05) than those of the other treatment
groups. e relative weight of small intestine in broiler
chicken of 0H group was signicantly higher (p < 0.05)
than those of the other treatment groups. e birds in
40H group had a signicantly higher (p < 0.05) weights
than those of 60H and C treatment groups. e relative
weight of proventriculus of the birds in 0H group was
signicantly higher (p < 0.05) than those of the other
treatment groups. e relative weights of empty gizzard
in 60H and C group were similar but signicantly higher
(p < 0.05) than that of 40H group whose value was also
higher than that of 20H group. e relative weights of
breast meat of the birds in 20H and 40H group were sim-
ilar but signicantly higher (p < 0.05) than those of 0H,
60H and C treatment groups whose values were similar.
e relative weight of thigh in 0H group was signi-
cantly higher (p < 0.05) than those of the other treatment
groups. e values recorded for the birds in 40H were
higher than those of the birds in 60H and C treatment
groups whose values were similar. e shank relative
weight recorded in the birds in 60H was higher than in
those of the other treatments. e drum stick weight was
also higher in the birds in 60H than the birds in the other
treatment groups. e value for 40H was also higher than
those of 0H and C treatment groups. e GIT relative
weights recorded in the birds in 60H were higher than
those of the other treatment groups. e values in 20H
and 40H were comparable but higher than those of 0H
and C treatment groups.
e relative weights of tibia in 40H were comparable
to those of 60H and C treatment groups but signicantly
higher (p < 0.05) than those of 0H and 20H groups, which
were similar to those of 60H and C treatment groups.
Eect of dierent levels of honey on the relative
weights of lymphoid organs of broiler chickens at nisher
phase during hot-dry season is presented in Table 6. e
relative weight of thymus of the birds in 40H was similar
Parameters
Levels of inclusion honey
Vit C SEM0H 20H 40H 60H
Initial body weight at 4wks (g) 590.52 588.28 586.69 585.41 587.96 2.04
Final body weight (g) 1785.10d1839.44c1855.45b1887.62a1828.36c7.89
Weight gain (g) 1194.59d1251.16bc 1268.76b1302.21a1240.42c8.59
Feed intake (g) 2783.10b2992.05a2973.93a3028.06a2963.39a26.00
Feed conversion ratio 2.32 2.39 2.34 2.32 2.39 0.01
Mortality 00000
Table 4: Eect of dierent levels of honey on performance of broiler chickens at nisher phase
Preglednica 4: Učinek različnih ravni dodanega medu na proizvodne lastnosti pitovnih piščancev v končni fazi pitanja
a, b, c, d Means within rows with dierent superscripts dier signicantly (p < 0.05)

Acta agriculturae Slovenica, 108/1 – 2016
50
O. E. OKE et al.
to that of 60H but signicantly higher than those of 20H,
0H and C treatment groups. However the relative weights
of thymus in broiler chicken of 0H, 20H and C treatment
groups were similar. e relative weights of spleen of the
birds in 40H, 60H and C group were similar but signi-
cantly higher (p < 0.05) than that of 0H and 20H. e
weights recorded in the birds in 20H were signicantly
higher (p < 0.05) than that of 0H.
4 DISCUSSION
Enhanced levels of serum ALT, AST and LDH are
used as indicators of liver damage (Ozaki et al., 1995). In
the present study, the activity of AST and ALT enzymes
did not follow a consistent trend with the inclusion of
honey in the drinking water of broilers during stress. is
supports the ndings of Hosseini-Vashan et al. (2012)
who reported that turmeric powder depressed AST in
heat stressed broiler due to the antioxidant curcumin
which is a component of the additive. e similarity in
levels of serum albumin and globulin in the birds oered
dierent levels of honey and ascorbic acid in the present
study diers from the ndings of Al-Shanti (2005) who
found that supplementing heat stressed broilers with 1 g
vitamin C/l drinking water had no eect on blood albu-
min and globulin
e present study showed that inclusion of honey at
Parameters
Level of honey and vitamin C
SEM0H 20H 40H 60H Vit C
Body weight (kg) 1.70c2.03b2.05b2.25a2.35a0.077
Liver (%) 2.60a2.03c2.27b2.11c2.05c0.072
Kidney (%) 0.12b0.14b0.16a0.16a0.16a0.006
Lungs (%) 0.54a0.51b0.49bc 0.48cd 0.46d0.010
Heart (%) 0.72a0.42b0.43b0.46b0.46b0.038
Small intestine (%) 3.08a2.73bc 2.87b2.66cd 2.55d0.062
Proventriculus (%) 2.66a2.39b2.44b2.25c2.17c0.058
Empty gizzard (%) 0.25d2.14c2.31b2.44a2.43a0.280
Abdominal fat (%) 1.62 1.58 1.69 1.63 1.58 0.018
Breast meat (%) 17.76b19.10a19.15a17.61b16.95b0.312
igh (%) 18.88a9.15d12.23b11.17c10.72c1.129
Shank (%) 2.73b2.74b2.95b5.08a2.648b0.312
Drum stick (%) 4.53cd 4.74bc 4.93b5.65a4.35d0.153
Tibia (%) 0.788b0.803b0.94a0.88ab 0.87ab 0.020
GIT (%) 15.505c16.66b16.92b18.85a14.93c0.463
Table 5: Eect of dierent levels of honey on the relative weight of organs of broiler chickens at nisher phase during hot-dry season
Preglednica 5: Učinek dodajanja različnih količin medu na relativno maso organov pitovnih piščancev v končni fazi pitanja v vročem in
suhem obdobju
a, b, c Means within a row with dierent superscripts dier signicantly (p < 0.05)
Parameters
Level of honey and vitamin C
SEM0H 20H 40H 60H Vit C
Spleen (%) 0.017c0.029b0.038a0.383a0.039a0.075
ymus (%) 3.082bc 3.867b4.019a3.882ab 3.831b0.035
Bursa (%) 0.560 0.545 0.576 0.562 0.553 0.005
Table 6: Eect of dierent levels of honey on the relative weight of lymphoid organs of broiler chickens at nisher phase during hot-dry
season
Preglednica 6: Učinek dodajanja različnih količin medu na relativno maso limfatičnih organov pitovnih piščancev v končni fazi pitanja
v vročem in suhem obdobju
a, b, c Means within a row with dierent superscripts dier signicantly (p < 0.05)

Acta agriculturae Slovenica, 108/1 – 2016 51
EFFECT OF DIFFERENT LEVELS OF HONEY ON PHYSIOLOGICAL, GROWTH ... OF BROILER CHICKENS DURING DRY SEASON
60 ml/l improved the total serum protein. Similar reports
were obtained by Giurgea et al. (1981) who indicated
that daily administration of propolis extract to chickens
had a signicant eect on the serum. On the contrary,
Al-Shanti (2005) reported that supplementing vitamin C
to the heat-stressed broilers had no eect on blood total
protein. is may be due to the dierence in the strains
of the birds used for the experiment. e decrease in the
serum glucose levels of the birds oered honey at 20 and
40 ml/l and vitamin Cin this trial corroborates the nd-
ings of Hazim et al. (2001) who reported an improve-
ment in the blood glucose level of broiler birds whose
diets were supplemented with ascorbic acid (at 0, 150,
300 and 450 mg / kg diet) during summer months.
e creatine kinase levels of the birds oered honey
was not elevated comapred with the birds oered ordi-
nary water in this study. e lower levels observed in the
birds oered 20 ml/l and vitamin C in the present study
may indicate that honey supplementation did not impair
the function of the kidney. Also the corticosterone lev-
els of broiler chickens supplemented with honey were
lower than in the 0H group. is suggests that addition
of honey up to 60H helped in ameliorating heat stress in
broiler chickens compared to 0H group. is is in agree-
ment with previous studies (Mckee and Hurrison, 1995;
Mahmoud et al., 2004) which reported that the improved
performance resulting from the use of ascorbic acid was
associated with the suppressed stress response indicated
by reduction in plasma corticosterone level. Stressors
such as high environmental temperature induce a cascade
of neural and hormonal events, beginning with hypotha-
lamic stimulation and the production of corticotrophin-
releasing factor, which stimulates the anterior pituitary to
produce adrenocorticotropic hormone, and ending with
stimulation of adrenal cortical tissue by adrenocortico-
tropic hormone to increase the production and release of
corticosteroids, primarily corticosterone in birds (Siegel,
1995). e reduction in the levels of serum corticoster-
one in birds oered varying levels of honey in this study,
implies that addition of honey in the drinking water of
broiler chickens had an ameliorative eect on the birds
and they were able to cope with the hot dry season and to
perform better than the birds in the control group.
e higher body weights recorded in the birds in
60H in the present study are in conformity with the re-
port of Gross (1988) who reported that dietary vitamin
C improved growth performance in broilers. e higher
weights of birds associated with higher dosage of honey
beyond 20 ml in this study suggest that this level con-
tained potent antioxidant which was benecial to the
birds during stress. e present observation is an im-
provement on our previous ndings (Abioja et al., 2010)
where it was reported that there was no signicant dier-
ence in the weights of broiler chickens oered honey up
to 20 ml/l in drinking water. is could therefore be ex-
plained by the fact the doses of honey (20 ml/l of water)
administered in the previous study was not high enough
to cause a positive eect. e higher feed intake observed
in the birds oered dietary vitamin C and honey in the
present study corresponds to the report of Bonomi et al.
(1976) who found an increase in feed intake when propo-
lis was fed to laying hens.
Addition of honey to the drinking water of heat-
stressed birds had no signicant eect on PCV, RBC,
WBC, heterophil, lymphocyte, eosinophil, monocyte,
basophil, MCH, MCV, MCHC, haemoglobin and HL.
e PCV values of all the experimental birds were within
the normal range for chickens (24.9–45.2 %) as reported
by Mitruka et al. (1997). Also all HB, MCV, MCH and
MCHC values of all experimental birds were within the
normal range for chickens (7–13, 90–140, 33–47 and
26–35, respectively).
is study has shown that relative weights of tibia
were improved by addition of honey to the drinking
water of broiler chickens especially at high dose (40H).
is might be adduced to the improvement in calcium
metabolism of the birds. e higher relative weight of
the tibiae is concurrent with the ndings of Abioja et al.
(2012) who observed that addition of honey up to 20 ml/l
of water for broiler chickens improved tibiae weight. e
present study has further validated the fact that a dose
higher than 20 ml/l is benecial to the birds during hot
dry season in Nigeria.
e relative weight of thymus was increased by the
addition of 40 ml honey/l of water. Heat stress has been
reported to inhibit immune functions in chickens (Curca
et al. (2003); Mashaly et al. (2004). Surgical removal of
thymus has been used to demonstrate its immunologic
role (Panigraphi et al., 1971). Ecacy of Sb-Asper-C, a
combined ascorbic acid and acetylsalicylic acid treat-
ment in reducing the eects of heat stress was tested in
broilers by Anwar et al. (2004). e authors reported
that the treatment increased the ratio of thymus to body
weight. e thymus of heat-stressed chickens not supple-
mented with Sb-Asper-C was atrophied. e increase in
the thymus in the present study supports the ndings of
Abioja et al. (2012) that honey up to 20 ml per liter of
water reduces the eect of heat stress on thymus.
Increased liver weight has been regarded as one of
the indices of stress conditions (Puvadolpirod and ax-
ton, 2000). e reduced liver relative weights observed
in the birds oered honey in the present study points to
the fact that the antioxidant content in the honey used in
this study was potent enough to cause change in stress
resistancy. e similarity in the relative liver weights of

Acta agriculturae Slovenica, 108/1 – 2016
52
O. E. OKE et al.
the birds oered vitamin C and honey is an indication
that the use of honey can replace vitamin C during stress.
e gastrointestinal tract is responsive to stressors
(Collins et al., 2012; Dinan and Cryan, 2012). e higher
gastrointestinal relative weights of the birds that were of-
fered honey in this study suggests that inclusion of honey
in the water of the birds ameliorated the eects of heat
stress on birds. is is in accordance with the ndings
of Mitchell and Carlisle (1992) who reported that heat
stress lowered the wet and dry weight of small intestine.
Moreover, Hu et al. (2010) also reported that adminis-
tration of corticosterone lowered small intestinal weight
and shortened small intestinal length in broiler chickens.
5 CONCLUSIONS
Addition of 20H/l of drinking water for broilers may
be useful in ameliorating eects of heat stress as it im-
proved some stress indices (serum glucose, corticoster-
one and creatine kinase), feed intake, body weight gain
and mass of lymphoid organ (spleen). e present study
has also shown that the use of honey may serve as an an-
tioxidant for the replacement of vitamin C during stress
conditions.
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