Effect of dietary supplementation of bamboo leaves extract on behaviors, performance and some blood parameters of bill-trimmed mule ducks

Abstract

Bamboo leaf extract (BLE) has been shown to exhibit physiological actions in mammals. So, the objective of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation of BLE on performance, behavior, stress indicators, antioxidant activity, and liver and kidney function of bill trimmed mule ducks. One hundred- and twenty- mule ducklings (one day old) were randomly distributed among 24 pens (5 birds / pen), each pen was randomly assigned to one of four dietary groups containing a BLE at 0 (CONT), 0 (BT-CONT), 1.0 (BT-BLE1), and 2.0 (BT-BLE2). Except for the CONT group, all birds were exposed to bill cutting on day 21. Serum corticosterone was analyzed by ELISA kits and other serum physiological parameters were assayed by spectrophotometer. Bamboo leaf extract decreased wall pecking, feather pecking, and aggressive pecking behavior and improved preening (P < 0.05) but had no effect on feeding, drinking, walking, standing and resting activities (P > 0.05). Serum catalase, superoxide dismutase (SOD), total protein and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were higher in BLE fed groups and CONT birds than BT-CONT groups (P < 0.05). However, there were no significant differences in performance parameters, serum albumin, urea, creatinine, and glucose between all the treatments (P > 0.05). Moreover, serum corticosterone was lower in BLE fed groups in comparison with the BT-CONT (P < 0.05). These findings imply that the BLE may be able to mitigate the detrimental effects of bill trimming on the health of mule ducks through the regulation of stress reactions, and improvement of antioxidant status.