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. 2021 Dec 22;9:e12636. doi: 10.7717/peerj.12636

Table 9. Study A: results from safety study of ferric citrate on male broilers.

Parameter T1 Control T2 Ferric citrate, 200 mg/kg feed T3 Ferric citrate, 2,000 mg/kg feed SEM P-value
Performance parameters
BW at start (g) 43.0 42.8 42.9 0.194 0.880
BW at D 14, g 429.9a 448.6b 435.0a 2.342 0.001
ADG D 0 - D 14 d (g/d) 27.6a 29.0b 28.0a 0.167 0.001
ADG D 15 - D 35 (g/d) 86.0a 89.7b 89.3b 0.460 0.001
ADFI D 0 - D 14 (g/d) 34.1 34.8 33.6 0.235 0.120
ADFI D 15 - D 35 (g/d) 121.0 122.0 120.7 0.455 0.484
MFCR D 0 - D 14 1.237 1.201 1.202 0.010 0.259
MFCR D 15 - D 35 1.408b 1.360a 1.351a 0.008 0.005
Overall period
BW at D 35, g 2,236.0a 2,332.4b 2,310.3b 11.028 0.001
ADG D 0 - D 35 (g/d) 62.7a 65.4b 64.8b 0.316 0.001
ADFI D 0 - D 35 (g/d) 86.3 87.1 85.8 0.326 0.280
MFCR D 0 - D 35 1.377b 1.332a 1.325a 0.007 0.003
Blood parameters at 35 days
Erythrocytes (T/l) 2.38b 2.33ab 2.26a 0.016 0.003
Leukocytes (G/l) 8.78 8.96 9.39 0.295 0.699
Lymphocytes (%) 52.89 52.50 54.19 1.129 0.821
Heterophils (%) 30.95 31.45 28.90 0.946 0.516
Monocytes (%) 7.07 7.42 7.58 0.366 0.848
Eosinophils (%) 2.90 4.24 3.88 0.237 0.053
Basophils (%) 6.20 4.39 5.44 0.342 0.095
Haemoglobin (g/l) 94.5 93.56 89.94 0.877 0.078
Haematocrit (l/l) 0.24 0.24 0.24 0.002 0.295
MCV1 (Fl) 101.63a 103.38ab 104.37b 0.383 0.010
MCH2 (Pg) 39.66 40.11 39.80 0.226 0.723
MCHC3 (g/dl) 39.19 38.79 38.17 0.218 0.160
Sodium (mmol/l) 149.44a 154.13b 152.8b 0.446 <0.001
Potassium (mmol/l) 5.34b 4.86a 4.94ab 0.085 0.042
Chloride (mmol/l) 110.25a 113.19b 112.63b 0.335 <0.001
Calcium (mmol/l) 2.76 2.80 2.76 0.015 0.445
Magnesium (mmol/l) 1.02 1.08 1.04 0.011 0.115
Phosphate (mmol/l) 2.57 2.69 2.64 0.023 0.093
α-Amylase (U/l) 603 667 634 23.138 0.543
AST4 (U/l) 256 293 287 15.216 0.565
ALT5 (U/l) 3.1 3.3 3.1 0.064 0.397
GLDH6 (U/l) 2.0 2.1 2.1 0.035 0.315
ALP7 (U/l) 15,617 13,503 1,194 887.823 0.126
LDHA8 (U/l) 1,203 1,389 1,365 119.718 0.795
CK9 (U/l) 11,447 10,866 11,385 1049.53 0.971
Total cholesterol (mmol/l) 3.40 3.52 3.26 0.049 0.093
Triglycerides (mmol/l) 1.87 1.62 1.89 0.054 0.065
Urea (mmol/l) 0.80a 0.86b 0.82ab 0.011 0.043
Total bilirubin (µmol/l) 1.83 1.83 1.65 0.039 0.090
Creatine (µmol/l) 6.73 7.64 7.05 0.232 0.276
Glucose (mmol/l) 14.03a 14.61b 14.51ab 0.095 0.025
Albumins (mmol/l) 13.40 13.56 12.79 0.280 0.506
Globulins (mmol/l) 17.73 17.94 18.03 0.404 0.954
Total protein (mmol/l) 31.13 31.50 30.81 0.299 0.653
Serum Amyloid A (mg/l) <5 <5 <5 – -

Notes:

D, day; BW, average body weight (g/bird); ADG, average daily weight gain (g/bird/day); ADFI, average daily feed intake (g/bird/day); MFCR, feed conversion ratio (feed/gain adjusted for mortality/culls).

abcValues in same row with different superscript are significantly different (P ≤ 0.05).

P-values in bold are P ≤ 0.05.

Values are least square means of 16 birds/treatment (2 birds/pen and 8 pen/treatment).

SEM, Standard Error of the Mean.

1

Mean corpuscular volume.

2

Mean corpuscular haemoglobin.

3

Mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration.

4

Aspartate transaminase.

5

Alanine aminotransferase.

6

Glutamate dehydrogenase.

7

Alkaline phosphatase.

8

L-lactate dehydrogenase.

9

Creatine kinase.