Abstract

Background:
The use of natural feed additives from agricultural by-products has gained increasing attention in poultry production. Selenium- and tocopherol-fortified waste mushroom powders may offer functional benefits in poultry diets, but their effects on hematological and biochemical responses in indigenous chickens remain limited.

Aim:
This study aimed to evaluate the effects of selenium- and tocopherol-fortified waste mushroom powders on hematological, lipid, and blood biochemical parameters in KUB (Kampung Unggul Balitbangtan) starter chickens.

Methods:
A completely randomized design was used with 140 day-old KUB chicks assigned to seven dietary treatments, with four replicate cages per treatment and five birds per replicate cage. The replicate cage was used as the experimental unit. One bird was randomly selected from each replicate cage for blood sampling. The treatments consisted of a basal diet and basal diets supplemented with 0.07% fortified waste mushroom powder from Pleurotus ostreatus, Auricularia auricula-judae, Agaricus bisporus, or their two-species combinations. Selenium was supplied as sodium selenite and tocopherol as dl-alpha-tocopheryl acetate, providing 0.30 mg selenium/kg diet and 50 mg tocopherol/kg diet in the mushroom-supplemented treatments. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance followed by Tukey’s test at P < 0.05.

Results:
Dietary treatment did not significantly affect erythrocyte count, hemoglobin concentration, packed cell volume, leukocyte count, total plasma protein, fibrinogen, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, albumin, AST, ALT, creatinine, uric acid, urea, or BUN (P > 0.05). LDL cholesterol was significantly affected by treatment (P < 0.05), with lower values observed in chickens receiving Agaricus bisporus (J3) and the combination of P. ostreatus + A. bisporus (J5) compared with the control group.

Conclusion:
Selenium- and tocopherol-fortified waste mushroom powder showed no evident adverse effects on the measured hematological, hepatic, and renal biochemical indicators in KUB starter chickens. The supplementation may selectively reduce LDL cholesterol, but further studies including growth performance, oxidative stress biomarkers, histopathology, dose-response evaluation, and longer feeding periods are needed before practical recommendations can be made.

Key words: KUB chicken; LDL cholesterol; Selenium; Tocopherol; Waste mushroom powder.