Haematological and hormonal studies from broiler chickens fed with corn contaminants: Crotalaria spectabilis e Senna occidentalis

Abstract

Crotalaria spectabilis (crotalária) e a Senna occidentalis (fedegoso) can grow in corn fields and during harvesting this cereal can be contaminated with the seeds of those plants which presents toxicity to animals. The aim of this study was to investigate the erythrocytes morphometric parameters, haematological variables and plasma hormones concentrations of broilers chickens fed rations of two energy levels to which were added 0,1% e 0,5% of Crotalaria spectabilis e a Senna occidentalis seeds, respectively. One hundred and eighty broilers chicks were divided into 6 groups according to a factorial analysis 3 x 2 (control, crotalaria and fedegoso as main treatments and two energy levels, 2,900 and 3,200 kcal ME/kg of ration). The results of this experiment showed that the crotalaria toxin reduced the number of the red blood cells, the haematocrit and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) with no effect on the morphometric studied parameters. These seeds due to its hepatic toxicity induced a high incidence of ascites. The fedegoso seeds were not able to induce ascite in the broilers.