Effect of Dietary Microalgae (<em>Spirulina platensis</em>) on Growth Performance, Ingestive Behavior, Hemato-Biochemical Parameters, and Economic Efficiency of Fayoumi Broilers

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary supplementation with Spirulina platensis (SP) on the productive performance, carcass characteristics, behavior, blood serum metabolites, hematological indices, and economic efficiency of Fayoumi broiler chickens for a 56-day. In total, 120 one-day-old broiler chicks were randomly distributed among four dietary treatments with three replicates (n = 10/group) for 8 weeks. The dietary treatments were a control basal diet without SP and the same basal diets supplemented with 0.25, 0.5, or 1.0% SP. Birds fed 1% Spirulina-supplemented diets recorded significantly (p p > 0.05) were recorded in the dressing percentage or the relative weights of internal organs among the different experimental groups, except for the thymus. Diets containing 0.5 or 1.0% SP saw an increase (p p p < 0.05) higher than in birds fed the control diet. These results suggest that adding SP up to 1% to the broiler diets could positively affect some important blood biochemical parameters, enhance their immunity response, and improve their growth performance. However, from an economic point of view, supplementation with 0.25% of SP is recommended for Fayoumi broiler chickens.

Keywords

• <i>Spirulina platensis</i>
• growth performance
• blood parameters
• carcass characteristics
• Fayoumi broiler