Olive cake's (OC) effects on broiler chickens' hematological parameters and growth performance

Abstract

The impact of olive cake (OC) on the growth performance and hematological parameters of broiler chickens was investigated throughout the 2024 season on a private farm in Bani Walid, Libya. We bought 241-day-old broiler chicks (Ross 308) from a nearby hatchery. Based on a fully randomized design, the birds were weighed upon arrival and then randomly assigned to one of six treatments, each consisting of three replicates of 12 birds. The dietary treatments included adding (3, 6, 9, 12, 15%, and control) olive cake to the basal diet, which served as the control treatment. The average active ingredient content of olive cake (OC) was taken into consideration when selecting the dosages of dietary supplements as treatments. In comparison to the control treatment, which recorded lower values of body weight, weight gain, and feed intake, the obtained results indicated that increasing the level of olive cake (OC) up to 15% recorded higher body weight, weight gain, and feed intake, while OC at 3% recorded a higher feed:gain ratio. Additionally, RBC, WBC, Hb, LYM, PCV, and MCV levels were greater when the amount of olive cake was increased by up to 15% than when the control therapy was used. In contrast to the control treatment, which recorded higher values of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), LDL, Albumin (ALP), Alanine transaminase (ALT), Aspartate transaminase (AST), and HDL, increasing the amount of olive cake up to 15% resulted in lower values of these parameters. In conclusion, up to 15% of OC can be safely given to broiler chickens while lowering the environmental contamination brought on by the buildup of OC following an increase in the production of olives for oil extraction for human use.