Date of Graduation

5-2020

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science in Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Animal Science

Advisor/Mentor

Kidd, Michael T.

Committee Member/Reader

Wideman, Robert

Committee Member/Second Reader

Erf, Gisela

Abstract

This study measured the effects of dietary Spirulina platensis supplementation on heterophil to lymphocyte ratio, footpad lesions, and growth performance parameters. One hundred and eighty Ross 708 broiler females were randomly divided evenly into fifteen pens with three dietary treatments for a total of five replications per treatment (twelve birds per replicate) for five weeks. The different treatments were a control diet of 20% crude protein, a diet of 17% crude protein, and a diet of 17% crude protein with 10% S. platensis added to the feed. Body weight, feed intake, and mortality rate was not significantly different between treatments (P>0.05). Body weight gain was significantly less among broilers fed Spirulina in their diets (PSpirulina in their diets (P0.05). These results indicate that adding Spirulina to broiler diets does not have any negative effects on the health of the broiler but could have negative impacts on the economic side of poultry production.

Keywords

spirulina; spirulina platensis; broilers; chickens; algae; stress

Download

Share

COinS