ORIGINAL ARTICLE Blood chemistry, haematology and ileal bacterial counts of broilers fed fermented mixture of cassava root meal and palm kernel cake N. O. Aladi 1 & A. A. Chukwukaelo 1 & N. J. Okeudo 1 & I. P. Ogbuewu 1 & C. C Ugwu 1 & E. B. Etuk 1 & I. C. Okoli 1 Received: 5 May 2017 /Accepted: 19 July 2017 # Springer-Verlag London Ltd. 2017 Abstract A study on blood chemistry, haematology and ileal bacterial count of broilers fed fermented mixture of grated cassava tubers and palm kernel cake (FCP-mix) as a replace- ment for maize at 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% levels of inclusion was undertaken. One hundred and eighty (180) 7-day-old broiler chickens were divided into six groups of 30 birds, and each group replicated thrice. Six experimental diets were formulated with diet 1 containing maize as the major energy source, while diet 6 containing fermented cassava root meal (CRM) and palm kernel cake (PKC) at the ratio of 1:1 as the main energy source. Diets 2, 3, 4 and 5 contained FCP-mix at 25, 50, 75 and 100% as replacement for maize. Diets 1 and 6 served as controls. Each group was assigned to one experi- mental diet in a completely randomized design. Blood sam- ples for analysis and ileal bacterial count were obtained from each replicate, and data obtained were analysed statistically. Results show the packed cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin (Hb), total red cell count (tRBC), mean cell volume (MCV) and platelets were not significantly affected by the inclusion of FCP-mix based diets, but there are significant variations in total white blood cell (tWBC), lymphocyte and heterophil count. Serum biochemistry data were not affected except for serum calcium, conjugated bilirubin and aspartate aminotrans- ferase (AST) levels that were significantly affected. Mean intestinal Escherichia coli count were reduced at 50 and 75% replacement of maize by FCP-mix whereas at 100% replacement level, salmonella counts decreased by 50%, and E. coli counts became negligible. It is therefore concluded that FCP-mix has some probiotic activity which can be used to enhance performance of broilers and improve product quality. Keywords Blood . Ileal bacterial . Cassava root meal . Palm kernel cake . Fermentation . Broilers Introduction The scarcity and high cost of maize grains in sub-Saharan African countries have compelled farmers to use several non-conventional feed resources (NCFR) in livestock feeding. Several authors (Etuk et al. 2012; Uchegbu et al. 2011) have tried to simulate analogues of maize by blending some NCFRs with varying degrees of success in replacing maize in poultry diets. Aladi et al. (2013) has simulated maize by mixing fresh- ly grated cassava tuber (GCT) with palm kernel cake (PKC) at a ratio of 3:1. Spontaneous solid state fermentation (SSF) of the mixture yielded a product with increased crude protein content (from 9.75 to 13.33%), low in hydrogen cyanide and devoid of the flouriness characteristic of ungelatinized cassava products. The use of fermentation as means for improving digestibility of these NCFRs have been reported (Iluyemi et al. 2006). The microbes found to be implicated in the fer- mentation process include Aspergillus oryzae, Aspergillus niger and Rhizopus spp. as well as lactic acid bacteria like Lactobacillus plantarum and Bifidobacterium spp. (Aladi 2016); all of which have been reported to possess probiotic activity capable of enhancing productivity of broilers (Heres et al. 2003; Niba et al. 2009). Fermented mixture of GCT and PKC at a ratio of 3:1 has been reported to replace maize in broiler diets without adverse effects on production data (Chukwukaelo 2016). This work was therefore designed to evaluate the effect of addition of fermented mixture of grated * I. P. Ogbuewu nnanyerealadi@gmail.com; dr.ogbuewu@gmail.com 1 Department of Animal Science and Technology, Federal University of Technology, P.M.B, Owerri 1526, Nigeria Comp Clin Pathol DOI 10.1007/s00580-017-2519-y