The study was designed to determine the possibility of better performance of 4-8 weeks old broiler chickens through the addition of honey in drinking water and provision of shade to ameliorate the effects of heat stress during hot dry season. 

ABSTRACT 

This  study was  designed  to  determine  the  possibility  of  better performance  of  4-8  weeks  old broiler  chickens  through  the  addition  of  honey  in  drinking  water  and  provision  of  shade  to ameliorate the effects of heat stress during the hot-dry season. The effects of honey and shade on some plasma biochemistry parameters: total protein, plasma albumin, plasma globulin, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and uric acid was determined. One hundred and sixty unsexed broiler chickens of strain Marshall were used for this experiment and were allotted to four treatments comprising of four replicates. Treatment 1 and 2 were placed under shade with treatment 1 given no honey in drinking water while treatment 2 were given 20ml of honey per drinking water. Treatment 3 also were given no honey in drinking water but 20ml of honey in drinking water were administered to treatment 4. The results obtained showed that honey had significant (p=0.05) effect on aspartate aminotransferase but had no significant  (p˃0.05)  effect on total protein, plasma albumin, plasma globulin, alanine aminotransferase and uric acid while shade exerted no significant (p˃0.05) effect on the parameters. Honey at 20ml in drinking water of  broiler  chickens  increased  the  level  of  AST  but  had  no  significance  on  other  plasma biochemical parameter. Meanwhile shade had no significance on plasma biochemical parameter. Honey at 20ml per litre in drinking water of broiler chickens increased the level of AST but had no significance on other plasma biochemical parameter.