Hira Nawaz’s scientific contributions

Background. The poultry sector is crucial in addressing nutritional deficiencies since it provides essential nutrients and proteins. To achieve optimal chicken production, it is important to understand how the gut microbiota functions, as it affects immunity, digestion, and pathogen control. This study examines the effects of Sodium Gluconate (SG) as a growth promoter and investigates its impact on growth promotion, organ development, and selected serum blood metabolites. Methodology. A total of one hundred (100) one-day-old broiler chicks were used in this investigation. The chicks were procured from a hatchery and housed at an experimental farm at the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Department of Physiology, Lahore, Pakistan. The chicks were divided into four (04) groups of twenty-five (25) birds each. Then, each group was split up into four (04) duplicates. Four SG treatments (control, SG3.5%, SG4.5%, and SG5.5%) were made, combined with ration, and fed to the birds. Results. In the first week, feed conversion ratio (FCR) showed substantial impacts, with the SG 3.5% group showing a significantly greater FCR than the control. Similarly, in week 5, the SG 5.5% group showed a considerable higher FCR compared to the control and SG 4.5% groups. The addition of SG did not change the weights of the viscera or the length of the small intestine. When the SG 5.5% supplemented birds were compared to SG 3.5% supplemented birds, the only item that showed a significant increase (p < 0.05) was the caecum length. Except for uric acid and cholesterol, all of the chosen blood metabolites remained unaffected by the dietary SG addition. In contrast to the control and SG 3.5% groups, the cholesterol concentration was lower in the SG 4.5% and SG 5.5% groups. Additionally, the SG 3.5% group had higher uric acid (p < 0.05) than the SG 4.5% and SG 5.5% groups. Conclusion. The results support sustainable poultry production methods by offering insightful observations about the effectiveness of SG as a growth enhancer and its effects on broiler health indices. Highlights • The findings demonstrated that in the first week, the FCR of SG 3.5% group was much higher than the control group. • Similarly, in week 5, the FCR of SG 5.5% group was significantly higher than that of the control and SG 4.5% groups. • The addition of SG did not affect the length of the small intestine or the weight of the viscera. • The SG dietary supplementation of did not affect most of the selected blood metabolites, except for uric acid and cholesterol.