Effect of Broiler Breeders Ageing on Hematological Parameters, Biochemical Analyses, and Maternal Immunity Transfer Rates

Abstract

he present study was conducted to investigate the effect of flock age and sex on hematological and biochemical parameters as well as the transfer rate of maternal antibodies from female breeders to their one-day-old chicks. A total of 20 birds (10 males and 10 females) were used at 60, 62, and 64 weeks of age (WOA) in the study. The hematological parameters included hemoglobin concentration (Hb), red blood cells (RBCs), packed cell volume (PCV), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC). While the biochemical parameters included plasma total protein (TP), albumin (A), globulin (G), A/G ratio, triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), uric acid (UA) and creatinine (Cr), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), glucose (GLU), calcium (Ca), and phosphorus (P). Results showed that, with the exception of RBCs, flock age had a significant effect (P < 0.05) on all hematological parameters and blood indices. Furthermore, sex had a significant effect on Hb, while it did not affect significantly (P > 0.05) the rest of the parameters and blood indices. Plasma TP, G, TG, UA, Ca, P, and GLU were significantly affected by flock age, while the rest of the biochemical parameters were not significantly affected by flock age. Moreover, sex had significant effects on A, A/G ratio, TG, TC, UA, Ca, GLU, and AST, whereas there was no significant effect of sex on the rest of the parameters. Furthermore, the results revealed that there were low levels of geometric mean titer (GMT) of Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV) and Avian Influenza Virus (AIV) in female breeders, accompanied by low levels of passive maternal antibodies (Mab) in their progeny. The previous results provided baseline data on hematological and biochemical parameters for Indian River broiler breeders. In conclusion, ageing had a detrimental effect on female breeders' immune systems, which could negatively affect their progeny at an early age.