The present experiment was conducted to study the effect of dietary replacement of normal maize (NM) with quality protein maize (QPM) and hybrid maize Nityashree (HMN) on performance, serum biochemical profile and humoral immune response of White Leghorn female chicks during 0 to 8 weeks of age. A control (D-1) diet based on maize-soybean meal-deoiled rice bran was formulated. Two more test diets were prepared by completely substituting NM with either QPM (D-2) or HMN (D-3). Diet 4 was same as control diet, but supplemented with synthetic lysine to meet the requirement. Each diet was fed ad lib to 10 replicates of 5 chicks each during the entire experimental duration of eight weeks. Dietary substitution of NM with either HMN or QPM did not have any effect on body weight gain and feed consumption. However, feed conversion ratio was significantly (P<0.01) improved by substituting NM by either QPM or supplementing Lys to NM based diet. The FCR was intermediate in HMN diet. None of the serum biochemical parameters (concentrations of P, triglycerides, cholesterol and HDL cholesterol) except concentrations of protein and Ca were influenced by the dietary substitution of NM with QPM. The protein and Ca concentration in serum increased significantly (P<0.05) by substituting NM by QPM. However, both the above parameters were intermediate in HMN and NM+Lys supplemented diet. The humoral immune response as measured by antibody titre to SRBC inoculation was significantly (P<0.05) higher in the QPM based and NM + Lys supplemented diets compared to NM or HMN dietary group. It was concluded that nutritional value of QPM is superior to NM and HMN and feeding value of HMN is similar to NM in WL chick diet.
Maize, Quality protein maize, Hybrid maize, Biochemical Profile, I immune response, White Leghorn female chicks
