Dietary supplementation with stabilized products of sorghum enriched with lactobacilli improves growth performance and antioxidant defense and modulates hematological parameters in indigenous guinea keets.

Increasing restrictions on antibiotic growth promoters (AGP) have intensified demand for safe and effective dietary alternatives in poultry production. This study evaluated the effects of graded dietary inclusion of Stabilized Products of Sorghum Enriched with Lactobacilli (SPSL) on growth performance, organ morphometry, intestinal morphometry, hematological parameters, and serum oxidative stress markers in indigenous guinea keets (Numida meleagris). A total of 600 one-day-old guinea keets were allocated to a completely randomized design with six treatments and four replicates of 25 birds each: a negative control (T-, basal diet), an antibiotic-positive control (T+, TetracolivitND at 1 g/L in drinking water for five consecutive days per month), and four graded SPSL inclusion levels (0.50%, 0.75%, 1.00%, and 1.25% of the diet; T0.5, T0.75, T1, and T1.25, respectively). Productive performance was monitored weekly over eight weeks; organ weights, intestinal morphometry, hematological indices, and serum malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were assessed at the end of the trial. A significant treatment × week interaction was detected for body weight (p < 0.05), with T1.25 guinea keets achieving significantly higher body weight than the controls from week 6 onward, and T1 and T0.75 from week 7. The T1 and T1.25 groups also recorded significantly lower feed intake and feed conversion ratios and higher average daily gain compared with T-, T+, and T0.5 (p < 0.05). Relative bursa of Fabricius weight was significantly reduced in T1 and T1.25 (p < 0.05), while small intestine and caecal lengths were significantly greater in these groups (p < 0.05). Cumulative mortality was significantly lower in T1 (5%) and T1.25 (2%) compared with other treatments (χ²(5) = 17.74, p = 0.003). Hematological analysis revealed significantly reduced total white blood cell count and lymphocyte percentage in T1 and T1.25 (p < 0.05), alongside a significantly elevated red blood cell count in T1.25 (p < 0.05). Serum MDA concentration decreased and SOD activity increased dose-dependently with SPSL inclusion (p < 0.05). These findings indicate that dietary SPSL at 1.00-1.25% improves productive performance, supports intestinal development, reduces oxidative stress, and modulates hematological parameters in indigenous guinea keets. The observed reductions in white blood cell count and lymphocyte percentage indicate hematological modulation; however, their biological significance requires further evaluation using functional immune assays. The biological responses observed following SPSL supplementation may involve contributions from fermentation-derived compounds and residual viable lactic acid bacteria, although the mechanisms underlying these effects remain to be determined. Overall, SPSL represents a promising functional feed additive candidate for antibiotic-reduction strategies, warranting further validation under diverse production conditions.