Effect of Lippia alba on the blood biochemistry of Cobb 500 chickens

Abstract

The present study was carried out at the Santa Inés Farm, of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences of the Universidad Tecnica de Machala, El Oro Province, Ecuador, and it had as objective to evaluate the effect of Lippia alba on the antemortem weight, neck thickness, abdominal fat, gizzard fat and blood biochemistry of cobb 500 chickens. Bird management, biosecurity and welfare were applied for open house systems, using a completely randomized design (CRD). Two hundred mixed baby chickens were evaluated for 41 days and distributed in 5 treatments, with 4 experimental units of 10 chickens each: control (T1) only pure water was administered, T2, T3, T4 and T5 were administered 2 ml/L of drinking water from infusions of L. alba at 10%, 20%, 30% and 40%, respectively. For the statistical analysis the software Statgraphics Centurion XV.I was used. After the assumptions of normality and homogeneity, an ANOVA test was applied to the variables previously mentioned, and in order to establish the statistical differences, the Bonferroni multiple comparison procedure was used with a confidence level of 95%. The results showed that there is an increase on the variables thickness of the neck and abdominal fat, depending on the use of the infusion, while cholesterol and LDL tend to decrease as the concentration of the medicinal plant increases.

 Keywords: Cholesterol, Cholesterol, Triglycerides, VLDL, Total Proteins, HDL, LDL.