Veterinaria

Research article

Serobiochemical changes induced by various concentrations of ethanol through drinking water in broiler chicks

Anwar Iqbal a*, Muhammad Tariq Javed b, Murtaz ul Hassan c, Imtiaz Ahmad Khan c, Muhammad Tanveer Munir c, d

a Department of Livestock and Dairy Development, KPK, Pakistan

b Department of Veterinary Pathology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan

c Department of Pathobiology, FV&AS, PMAS Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, 46300, Pakistan

d Poultry and Wildlife Section, National Agricultural Research Centre, Islamabad, 46000, Pakistan

Abstract

There is a common practice of using ethanol in drinking water to subside the respiratory problems, increase weight gain and improve feed conversion ratio in broiler birds, in Pakistan. A study was planned to investigate the ethanol effects on broilers chicks through drinking water. To ascertain the effects of ethanol, 150 day old broiler chicks were randomly divided into 5 equal groups from 1 to 5 at the age of one week. Ethanol (2, 4, 8, 16 and 0% v/v) was offered in drinking water from 8 to 42 days of age daily. Blood samples were collected from experimental birds and studied for parameters which showed significant increase in serum concentration of alkaline phosphatase, urea and creatinine in treated groups as compare to control group. Gross and histopathological examination of organs showed no significant changes except intestine that showed gross and microscopic hemorrhages at higher ethanol dose. The study suggests that ethanol intake in poultry affects liver and kidney, therefore serum concentration of urea, creatinine and alkaline phosphatase are changed in treated broiler.

Keywords: Alkaline phosphatase, Broiler, Creatinine, Ethanol, Urea.

Received October 22, 2014; Revised January 12, 2014; Accepted February 04, 2015

*Corresponding author: Dr. Anwar Iqbal; E-mail: anwer653@yahoo.com