Effect of feeding program and vitamin-mineral supplements on immune response and ascites related metabolites

An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of vitamin E, C, choline chloride, organic selenium, and also feed restriction on broiler performance and immune response and ascites related metabolites. Nine hundred one-day old Arian broiler chicks were allocated to 6 experimental treatments in a completely randomized design with 5 replicates and 30 samples per replicate. The first three treatments were: 1-Control diet, 2- Basal diet+ 250 IU Vit E, 300 mg Vit C and 0.3 ppm organic selenium, 3- Basal diet+ 250 IU Vit E, 300 mg choline chloride and 0.3 ppm organic selenium, and treatments 4, 5 and 6 were similar to treatments 1 to 3 but with feeding program. Feed intake, body weight, mortality, feed conversion were measured weekly. Immune system response was assessed by injecting sheep red blood cell in day 28. The ratio of right ventricle to total ventricle considered as ascites index in day 42. Results showed that feed conversion ratio and ascites index were not different among treatments (P>0.05). The highest level of antibody against red blood cell was for treatment 6 (P<0.05). Therefore, the utilization of vitamin, choline, organic selenium and feeding program was effective on humoral immune response of broilers.