Effects of Corticosterone Intake as Stress-Alternative Hormone on Broiler Chickens: Performance and Blood Parameters

This study was conduced to determine effects of blood corticosterone (CS) increasing on some physiological parameters and performance of boiler chickens. To avoid treatment of birds with various forms of stress with administration of CS a model was developed to study of mimicked stress in chickens. Total 180 one-day old chicks of the cobb-500 strain from male sex were placed in 12 pens. CS at 4 levels (0, 10, 20 and 30 mg L-1) in drinking water was provided ad libitum between 1 to 49 days of age. Continuous intake of CS for 49 days caused increasing in serum glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, high and low density lipoprotein and mortality. Final body weight, total feed intake and abdominal fat deposition were decreased, whereas feed conversion ratio was constant. The relative weights of major immunobiological organs including spleen, thymus and bursa of fabricius were decreased (p<0.05). Numerically, weights of selected visceral organs especially liver were elevation in all groups that received higher levels of CS. Therefore, it seems that CS intake is an alternative tool and useful test for assess the effects of physical, psychological and physiological stress in researches on broiler chickens.