Adenkola and Ayo (2009) showed that stress caused by capture and
handling before slaughter increases the animal's heart rate and temperature,
and causes an increase of up to 5% in the normal erythrocyte value.
Indeed,when an animal is subjected to stress, the sympathoadrenal axis
is activated causing splenic contraction which results in the release
of catecholamines and erythrocytes and an increase in hematocrit
value (Schaefer, Jones & Stanley, 1997). In the current study, the lower
erythrocyte count and hematocrit value with AM treatment suggest
that, compared to the control group, AM treated animals were better
able to cope with pre-slaughter stress. These findings are consistent
with those of Nowaczewski, Kontecka, and Pruszyńska-Oszmałek
(2006) who observed a significant decrease in the hematocrit value
after inducing stress in 4-week old pheasants fed diets supplemented
with 1200mg/kg of ascorbic acid compared to those without the dietary
supplementation.