RT Journal T1 ZOOTECHNICAL PERFORMANCE AND BLOOD BIOCHEMISTRY PROFILE OF ROSS 308 BROILER CHICKENS FED DIETS SUPPLEMENTED WITH DRIED Opuntia ficus-indica (prickly pear) FRUIT A1 BELGHITI Ayoub A1 RAFIK Oussama A1 BIDAH Sara A1 BENIDIRE Loubna A1 MOUSLIM Assia A1 MOHTADI Karima A1 EL OUAHABI Imane A1 MOUSLIM Jamal JF Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences JO JAPS SN 1018-7081 VO 36 IS 5 YR 2026 FD 2026 DO DOI https://doi.org/10.36899/JAPS.2026.5.0119 AB

The use of antibiotic growth promoters in chicken broiler production has become increasingly questioned. The study evaluated the effect of including 10% dried Opuntia ficus-indica fruit on performance and serum biochemical parameters in Ross 308 broiler chicken. A total of 180 chicks were allocated to two experimental treatments: a control group and a treated group receiving the supplemented diet. Birds receiving the supplemented diet showed higher body weight (+9.84%) and average daily weight gain (+13.55%) than controls. Feed intake was only slightly increased (+2.73%), while feed conversion ratio decreased from 2.73 to 2.47, indicating improved feed efficiency in the OFI- supplemented group. Blood analysis showed increased total protein, albumin, and gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) (p = 0.040). Together with reduced AST and stable ALT, this pattern may reflect higher metabolic activity rather than liver damage, although this finding warrants cautious interpretation. No significant differences were observed for renal and lipid parameters (p > 0.05). Overall, these results indicate that dried Opuntia ficus-indica fruit could be used as a natural feed ingredient in broiler chicken production.

K1 Opuntia ficus-indica, phytobiotic, broiler chicken, growth performance, metabolic activity. PB Pakistan Agricultural Scientists Forum LK https://thejaps.org.pk/AbstractView.aspx?mid=2025-JAPS-852