The objective of this study was conducted to evaluate the effects of feeding Purslane
seeds on performance and some blood parameters of broiler chicks. A total of 350 one
day olds chicks were divided into five treatments and five replicates with 14 birds in
each in a randomized experimental design. The treatments were divided as basal diet
with no Purslane kept as control and 250 g/100 kg (T1), 500 g/100 kg (T2), 1000
g/100 kg (T3) and 2000 g/100 kg (T4) of Purslane seeds. The body weight gains
(BWG) and feed intake (FI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) of chicks were measured.
At the end of experimental period, 2 male birds from each replicate (totally 50 birds)
were slaughtered for determination of cholesterol profile. At 28 and 30 days of age,
blood samples were collected and antibody titres against New Castle Vaccine and
SRBC were measured. Data from current study showed that BWG improved
significantly in T4 with no effect on FI and FCR. Abdominal fat and heart percentage
weight increased significantly in T2 and T4 respectively. Purslane seeds tended to
decrease blood cholesterol in T1 and T4. Broilers immune response data showed that
supplementing broiler chickens with Purslane seeds increased HI and SRBC none
significantly at 28 and 30 days old chicks respectively. In conclusion, we demonstrated
that Purslane seeds may be used from 250 to 2000 g/kg to improve the broiler
performance and blood biochemistry