Effect of transportation on blood metabolites in broilers

1. Groups of 30 broilers from seven flocks were bled and weighed at the farm and a further sample of 10 broilers from each flock was transported from 8 to 16 km to the laboratory prior to bleeding and weighing. 2. One haematological and 11 biochemical analyses were made on each blood sample. 3. Although transportation did lead to significant differences in certain variables, the trends were consistent and sampling following transit is considered acceptable for clinical pathology studies.