EFFECTS OF USING DIFFERENT LEVELS OF CHROMIUM PICOLINATE ON PERFORMANCE, SOME BLOOD BIOCHEMICAL AND INTESTINAL MORPHOLOGY AND MICROFLORA IN ROSS 308 BROILER CHICKS EXPOSED TO THE HEAT STRESS CONDITION

This study was aimed to investigate the effects of different levels of dietary chromium picolinate (CrPic) on performance, some blood biochemical and intestinal morphology and microflora in Ross 308 broiler chicks. A total of 240 broiler chickens Ross 308 strain, from 21 to 42 days old were used in a completely randomized design. All chickens consumed a diet based on the corn-soybean meal, and the treatments were control- (thermo-neutral) and control + (heat stress) with no add-on and the others with CrPic supplementation at levels 500, 1000 and 1500 ppb respectively. The blood serum samples were subjected to biochemical analysis for blood parameters. The histomorphometric examination was performed by light microscopy. The result showed that all the growth and feed intake and feed conversion ratio parameters were declined when the broilers fed the CrPic supplementation (P≤0.05). The serum glucose concentration decreased CrPic supplemented groups. As a result, revealed that the villus height and crypt depth in the ileum and jejunum. Ileal villus height of birds on CrPic groups was significantly taller than that of chicks on the control. The result of intestinal microbiota investigations suggested that feeding management regimens with CrPic could have a more profound impact on the gut microbiota of experimental chicks than to that of control birds. In conclusion, we could demonstrate that using of different levels of CrPic could have some beneficial effects on performance, some blood biochemical and intestinal morphology and microflora in Ross 308 broiler chicks exposed to the heat stress condition.