Abstract

An experiment which lasted for 56 days was carried out to investigate the growth performance, haematological and serum biochemical response of broiler chickens to aqueous extract of ginger and garlic. Eighty day-old Marshal Strain broiler chickens were used for the experiment. The birds were randomly allotted into four treatment groups consisting of four replicates with five birds per replicate. The aqueous extract was obtained by infusing 14 g of each test ingredient in 1 litre of hot boiled water for 12 hours and 50 ml of the filtrate/litre of drinking water given to birds’ ad-libitum. T1 (control), T2, T3, and T4 contained 0, and 50 mls of ginger, garlic and a 1:1 ratio mixture of ginger and garlic in drinking water respectively. T2 gave the best performance (p < 0.05) in all growth performance traits – final body weight, weekly weight gain, weekly feed intake and feed conversion ratio and T1 the least. Significant (p < 0.01) increases were observed in haemoglobin concentration, packed cell volume, white blood cell, and red blood cell of the ginger and garlic treated birds. The serum biochemical parameters measured were significantly (p < 0.05) different, with T2 and T3 showing a better response. Cholesterol decreased significantly (p > 0.05) while there was significant increase in the total protein, albumin, and globulin of the treated birds (p < 0.01). Administration of ginger and garlic to broiler chickens increased their performance, boosted their immunity as well as improved their general well-being. It is, thus, recommended in broiler chicken production.

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