Department of Animal Nutrition, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar - 125 004.
1 Part of M.V.Sc. Research (19, Subhash Park, Model Town, Hissar).
Three hundred and six day-old broiler chicks were randomly divided into 24 groups of 12 to 13 chicks in each group. Six isoproteinic (23% CP) and isocaloric (2800 Kcal ME/kg) dietary treatments were formulated using to levels of calcium (1.03 and 1.98%) and three levels of zinc (63, 93 and 123 ppm) in a factorial design. Each dietary treatment was of fered to four groups. After four weeks of age, two groups under each dietary treatment were artificially infected with 60,000 sporulated oocysts (in 0.5-ml tap water) of mixed Eimeria spp. (E. fenella, E. acervulina and E. necafrix) through crop intubation, while other two groups received equal volume of tap water. Four representative birds from each group were placed in the metabolic cages from 1 to 12 days post-infection to collect excreta for oocys~s count. Mortality was recorded as and when occurred and post-mortem examination was performed on the dead birds. Oocyst output per bird per day did not alter dueto the levels of dieatry calcium orzinc but differed (P<0.01) due to post infection days. Birds receiving high Ca (1.98%) and low zinc (63 ppm) had higher mortality (12.5%) on fifth day postinfection (acute pathogenic stage). Results on oocyst count, mortality pattern and post-mortem lesions revealed thatthe course of coccidiosis in broilers was influenced by dietary levels of zinc and calcium.
Calcium, zinc, coccidiosis, broiler
