Influence of Dietary Supplementation with Celosia argentea (Soko) Stem, Oxytetracycline and Butylated Hydroxyanisole on Production Indices, Blood Chemistry, Carcass and Meat Quality in Broiler Chickens

Abstract

This study investigated the influence of dietary supplementation with Celosia argentea (soko) stem, oxytetracycline, and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) on production indices, blood chemistry, and carcass and meat quality in broiler chickens. A total of 240-day-old Ross 308 broilers were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments with six replicates and ten birds per replicate for a period of six weeks: Basal diet (T1), Basal diet with BHA and Oxytetracycline (T2), and two experimental groups with 0.25g/kg (T3) and 0.5g/kg (T4) of Celosia argentea stem powder, respectively. The phytochemical analysis indicated the presence of flavonoids, coumarins, glycosides, terpenoids, and phytic acid. Production indices did not differ significantly (p > 0.05). with supplemented birds showing higher weight gain, feed intake, and the best FCR. Blood chemistry results showed a hypocholesterolemic effect of Celosia argentea, with reduced cholesterol and LDL levels. ALT and AST were reduced, reflecting the feed additive's hepatoprotective effect. The supplemented diet did not significantly affect haematological indices. Carcass and meat quality showed no significant differences (p > 0.05) across treatments, with dressing percentage ranging from 69.81% (T1) to 74.89% (T2), suggesting that supplementation of Celosia argentea (soko) stem powder at up to 0.5g/kg diet may be a potential alternative to synthetic feed additives such as Butylated hydroxyanisole and oxytetracycline in broiler diets.