Table 8.
Clinical hematology of broilers fed experimental diets of differing Lys concentrations.1
| Item | Dietary treatments |
Pooled SEM | Model P-value | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NC | PC | 0.30% LB | 0.90% LB | 1.50% LB | |||
| Hematocrit, % | 31.8 | 31.4 | 31.0 | 30.6 | 29.9 | 0.82 | 0.481 |
| Total protein, g/dL | 3.3b,c | 3.6a | 3.4b | 3.3b,c | 3.1c | 0.09 | 0.002 |
| Heterophils, % of WBC | 13.3b | 19.7b | 35.4a | 29.5a | 31.1a | 3.47 | <0.001 |
| Lymphocytes, % of WBC | 81.8a | 75.5a,b | 57.0c | 61.1c | 64.8b,c | 4.02 | <0.001 |
| Heterophil-to-lymphocyte ratio | 0.2c | 0.2c | 0.8a | 0.6a,b | 0.4b,c | 0.09 | <0.001 |
| Mono/azuro granules, % of WBC | 2.1 | 3.6 | 2.1 | 3.2 | 3.0 | 0.55 | 0.182 |
| Eosinophils, % of WBC | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.16 | 0.463 |
| Basophils, % of WBC | 2.3 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 4.7 | 3.7 | 0.98 | 0.418 |
a–cMeans without a common superscript letter differ within a row (P < 0.05).
Abbreviations: LB, Lys biomass; NC, negative control; PC, positive control; WBC, white blood cells.
1
Values are least square means derived from 9 to 12 replicate cages allotted with 6 chicks at study initiation. Blood was collected from 1 chick per cage at study conclusion (37 d post-hatch or study day 35) via cardiac puncture immediately postmortem.