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The effect of a mixture of herbal essential oils, an organic acid or a probiotic on broiler performance

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The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation with an essential oil mixture, a commercially available organic acid and a probiotic on growth performance and carcass yield of broilers. One thousand two hundred and fifty sexed one day-old broiler chicks were randomly divided into five treatment groups of 250 birds each (negative control, organic acid, probiotic and essential oil mixture (EOM) at two levels). Each treatment group was further sub-divided into five replicates of 50 birds (25 male and 25 female) per replicate. The oil in the EOM was extracted from different herbs growing in Turkey. An organic acid at 2.5 g/kg diet, a probiotic at 1 g/kg diet and the EOM at 36 mg and 48 mg/kg diet were added to the basal diet of the birds. There were significant effects of dietary treatments on body weight gain, feed intake, carcass yield and intestinal weight of the broiler at 42 days of age. At day 42, birds fed the diet containing 36 mg EOM/kg showed the highest body weight gain. This was followed by chicks on the diet containing 48 mg EOM/kg, the probiotic, the organic acid and the negative control, in descending order. The addition of the essential oil mixture to the diet improved the feed conversion ratio significantly as compared to the negative control and the organic acid treatment. The feed intakes at days 21 and 42 were significantly different between the treatments. The addition of 48 mg EOM/kg increased carcass yield significantly above the other treatments, while the addition of EOM and the organic acid reduced the intestinal weight significantly. It was concluded that the supplementation of the herbal essential oil mixture to broiler diet had beneficial effects on body weight gain, feed conversion ratio and carcass yield.
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South African Journal of Animal Science 2004, 34 (4)
© South African Society for Animal Science
217
The effect of a mixture of herbal essential oils, an organic acid or a probiotic on
broiler performance
A. Alçiçek1#, M. Bozkurt2 and M. Çabuk3
1Department of Animal Science, Agricultural Faculty of Ege University, Bornova 35100, Izmir-Turkey
2Poultry Research Institute, Erbeyli 09600, Aydın-Turkey
3Department of Poultry Science, Akhisar Vocational School of Celal Bayar University, 45210, Manisa-Turkey
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation with an essential
oil mixture, a commercially available organic acid and a probiotic on growth performance and carcass yield
of broilers. One thousand two hundred and fifty sexed one day-old broiler chicks were randomly divided into
five treatment groups of 250 birds each (negative control, organic acid, probiotic and essential oil mixture
(EOM) at two levels). Each treatment group was further sub-divided into five replicates of 50 birds (25 male
and 25 female) per replicate. The oil in the EOM was extracted from different herbs growing in Turkey. An
organic acid at 2.5 g/kg diet, a probiotic at 1 g/kg diet and the EOM at 36 mg and 48 mg/kg diet were added
to the basal diet of the birds. There were significant effects of dietary treatments on body weight gain, feed
intake, carcass yield and intestinal weight of the broiler at 42 days of age. At day 42, birds fed the diet
containing 36 mg EOM/kg showed the highest body weight gain. This was followed by chicks on the diet
containing 48 mg EOM/kg, the probiotic, the organic acid and the negative control, in descending order. The
addition of the essential oil mixture to the diet improved the feed conversion ratio significantly as compared
to the negative control and the organic acid treatment. The feed intakes at days 21 and 42 were significantly
different between the treatments. The addition of 48 mg EOM/kg increased carcass yield significantly above
the other treatments, while the addition of EOM and the organic acid reduced the intestinal weight
significantly. It was concluded that the supplementation of the herbal essential oil mixture to broiler diet had
beneficial effects on body weight gain, feed conversion ratio and carcass yield.
Keywords: Essential oil mixture, herbs, organic acid, probiotic, performance, broilers
#Corresponding author. E-mail: alcicek@ziraat.ege.edu.tr
Introduction
Recently the use of antibiotic growth promoters (AGP) in the poultry industry has been seriously
criticised by governmental policy makers and consumers because of the development of microbial resistance
to these products and the potential harmful effects on human health. In the European Union (EU) this led to a
ban on the use of antibiotics as antimicrobial growth promoters in animal nutrition. At present and up till
2006 only four antibiotic growth promoters are permitted for use in poultry nutrition. On the other hand,
there is increasing public and government pressure in several countries of the EU and some non-EU to search
for natural alternatives to antibiotics (Williams & Losa, 2001; McCartney, 2002). Since the prohibition on
AGPs in the EU, aromatic plant extracts and essential oils as well as their purified constituents have gained
interest in alternative feed strategies for the future. It is currently well known that enzymes, probiotics and
organic acids are “generally regarded as safe” (GRAS) feed additives. The chemical constituents of most
plant essential oils are also recognized as safe in general and commonly used in the food industry (Varel,
2002). The main functions of the essential oils cover pathogen control including antimicrobial activity
(Cowan, 1999; Dorman & Deans, 2000; Azaz et al., 2002), antioxidant activity (Botsoglou et al., 2002;
Botsoglou et al., 2004), digestion aid including stimulation of endogenous enzyme activity and nitrogen
absorption (Gill, 2001) and inhibition of odour and ammonia control (Varel, 2002). Their antimicrobial mode
of action consists of interactions with cell membranes that change the permeability for cations such as H+
and K+ (Ultee et al., 1999). Moreover, Bassett (2000) and Alçiçek et al. (2003) reported that the
supplementation of the essential oil to the broiler diet or drinking water increased body weight and feed
conversion ratio. Furthermore, it has been found that probiotics and organic acids have growth promoting
properties and can be used as alternatives to antibiotics (Vanbelle et al., 1990; Patten & Waldroup, 1988).
The South African Journal of Animal Science is available online at http://www.sasas.co.za/Sajas.html
South African Journal of Animal Science 2004, 34 (4)
© South African Society for Animal Science
218
Yeo & Kim (1997) and Zilkifli et al. (2000) reported that dietary supplementation of probiotics improved
body weight gain and feed intake significantly. The addition of organic acids to the broiler diet reduced the
production of toxic components by bacteria and the colonization of pathogens in the gastro intestinal tract
(Langhout, 2000; Denli et al., 2003). Although there is sufficient literature on the growth promoting effects
of probiotics and organic acids, the number of published studies on the effects of essential oils on broiler
performance and carcass characteristics is still very limited.
The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation with essential oil
mixture, commercially available organic acid and probiotic compounds on the growth performance and
carcass yield of broilers.
Materials and Methods
Table 1 Ingredients and chemical composition of the experimental starter and finisher diets (as fed)
Treatment
1 to 21 days 22 to 42 days
Ingredients (kg/1000 kg) Diet 1 Diet 2 Diet 3 Diet 4 Diet 5 Diet 1 Diet 2 Diet 3 Diet 4 Diet 5
Maize 546.5 544.4 543.5 544.6 544.9 621.9 621.3 621.5 621.3 621.3
Soyabean meal (0.48 CP) 284.7 287.2 288.4 287.2 287.2 253.7 250.1 249.2 251.6 250.6
Sunflower meal 56.9 53.7 52.4 55.1 54.7 0 0 0 0 0
Meat and bone meal 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 30.0 30.0 29.1 30.0 30.5
Fish meal 42.7 43.1 44.0 43.1 43.1 37.9 40.0 41.9 40.1 40.6
Vegetable oil 36.8 36.8 38.6 36.8 36.8 40.0 40.1 41.4 40.0 40.0
Salt 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5
Ground limestone 15.7 15.7 15.5 15.6 15.7 5.7 5.6 5.7 5.6 5.6
Dicalcium phosphate 8.7 8.6 8.6 8.6 8.6 2.8 2.4 2.2 2.4 2.4
Vitamin premix* 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5
Mineral premix** 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
DL-methionine 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
L-lysine 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
Organic acid premix - 2.5 - - - - 2.5 - - -
Probiotic premix 1.0 1.0
EOM (36 g/kg) premix - - - 1.0 - - - - 1.0 -
EOM (48 g/kg) premix - - - - 1.0 - - - - 1.0
Total 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000
Composition, g/kg (analysed)
Dry matter 909 915 908 917 916 903 904 904 900 906
Crude protein (CP) 216 215 217 218 215 196 194 193 195 193
Crude fat 47.3 47.5 45.4 45.1 46.8 59.1 64.5 59.6 60.8 61.3
Crude fibre 43.5 40.5 42.3 39.2 40.8 34.5 31.0 33.0 35.5 31.7
Crude ash 70.3 69.5 67.8 65.1 65.4 63.0 65.4 60.9 65.0 61.8
Starch 369 365 364 369 365 409 402 407 410 412
Sugar 53.0 58.1 58.4 57.5 55.3 41.6 44.0 43.2 41.8 42.4
Total calcium 12.2 11.2 10.9 11.6 10.2 11.2 12.0 10.6 10.9 10.3
Total phosphorus 6.3 6.6 6.8 6.7 6.7 6.1 6.5 6.5 6.6 6.6
Lysine (calculated) 12.4 12.4 12.4 12.4 12.4 11.3 11.3 11.3 11.3 11.3
Met. + Cys. (calculated) 8.3 8.3 8.3 8.3 8.3 7.4 7.4 7.4 7.4 7.4
ME (MJ/kg) 12.7 12.7 12.6 12.7 12.6 13.3 13.4 13.3 13.4 13.4
EOM-Essential oil mixture; ME- Metabolisable energy
Diet 1: Negative control: without organic acid, probiotic and EOM
Diet 2: with commercial organic acid including formic, lactic and citric acid, at 2.5 g/kg diet
Diet 3: with commercial probiotic including Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and Enterococcus at 1.0 g/kg diet
Diets 4 and 5: with 36 and 48 mg of EOM/kg diet, respectively
*Vitamin premix (/kg diet): Vitamin A - 12000 IU; vitamin D3 - 1500 IU; vitamin E - 30 mg; vitamin K3 - 5 mg;
vitamin B1 - 3 mg; vitamin B2 - 6 mg; vitamin B6 - 5 mg; vitamin B12 - 0.03 mg; nicotine amid - 40 mg; calcium-D-
pantothenate - 10 mg; folic acid - 0.75 mg; D-biotin - 0.075 mg; choline chloride - 375 mg; antioxidant - 10 mg
**Mineral combination (mg/kg diet): Mn - 80; Fe - 80; Zn - 60; Cu - 8; I - 0.5; Co - 0.2; Se - 0.15
The South African Journal of Animal Science is available online at http://www.sasas.co.za/Sajas.html
South African Journal of Animal Science 2004, 34 (4)
© South African Society for Animal Science
219
One thousand two hundred and fifty sexed day-old broiler chicks (Cobb 500) were divided into five
treatment groups of 250 birds each and randomly assigned to the five treatment diets, consisting of a
negative control and diets supplemented with an organic acid, a probiotic and an essential oil mixture (EOM)
at two different levels of inclusion. Each treatment group was further sub-divided into five replicates of 50
birds (25 male and 25 female) per replicate. In the negative control treatment the birds were fed a standard
commercial starter diet from days 1 to 21 and a grower diet from days 22 to 42. The organic acid, probiotic
and the EOM were added to the basal diet. In the organic acid treatment a kg of feed contained 2.5 g of the
commercial organic acid, based on mainly formic, lactic and citric acid. In the probiotic treatment a kg of
feed contained 1.0 g of the commercial probiotic, based on Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and
Enterococcus. For the EOM treatments, 36 and 48 mg of a commercial EOM (Herbromix™) were added per
kg of feed. The EOM contained six different essential oils derived from selected herbs growing in Turkey,
viz. oregano oil (Origanum sp.), laurel leaf oil (Laurus nobilis L.), sage leaf oil (Salvia triloba L.), myrtle
leaf oil (Myrtus communis), fennel seeds oil (Foeniculum vulgare), citrus peel oil (Citrus sp.).
Hydrodistillation was used to extract the herbal essential oils.
The ingredients and chemical composition of the diets are presented in Table 1. The diets were
isoenergetic and isonitrogenous. The experimental diet was in mash form and water was provided ad libitum.
The experiment lasted for 42 days. The birds were kept in 25 pens (3 x 1.7 m) in an open-sided naturally
ventilated broiler house containing wood shavings as litter material. Bird density was 10 chicks per square
meter. A photoperiod of 24 h/d was maintained. The body weights of the birds were measured individually
and feed intakes per pen were recorded. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) was adjusted for weight of chicks at
first day and FCR was calculated at the end of the 21- and the 42-day experimental periods. Mortality was
recorded daily and was used to adjust the total number of birds to determine the total feed intake per bird. At
days 42, 12 male and 12 female birds of similar body weight were selected from each treatment group,
weighed and killed by CO2 asphyxiation to determine the carcass yield, abdominal fat and intestinal weight.
The standard techniques of the proximate analysis were used to determine the nutrient concentrations
in the experimental diets (Naumann & Bassler, 1993). The experimental diets were analysed also for starch,
sugar, total calcium and phosphorus according to the VDLUFA method (Naumann & Bassler, 1993).
Metabolisable energy content of the diets was calculated based on chemical composition (Anonymous,
1991). The data were analyzed using the General Linear Models procedure of SAS (1985). Significant
differences between treatment means were separated using the Duncan’s multiple range test with a 5%
probability.
Results and Discussion
The effects of the supplementation of an essential oil mixture, organic acid and a probiotic on the feed
intake and feed conversion ratio are presented in Table 2.
Table 2 The effect of the inclusion of an essential oil mixture (EOM), an organic acid and a probiotic on
feed intake (g) and the feed conversion ratio (g feed/g gain) of the broilers up to the age of 42 days
Treatments Feed intake
g
Feed conversion ratio
g feed/g gain
21 days* 42 days* 21 days 42 days*
Control 1018.0b3942.6b1.87 2.07a
2.5 g Organic acid/kg 1043.8ab 3993.6ab 1.84 2.06a
1.0 g Probiotic/kg 1064.4ab 4045.8a1.89 2.01ab
36 mg EOM/kg 1087.8a4078.0a1.88 1.97b
48 mg EOM/kg 1089.6a4037.8a1.83 1.96b
s.e.m. pooled 17.78 28.53 0.05 0.02
P
0.0472 0.0285 0.8531 0.0412
*Means within columns with different superscripts differ at P < 0.05
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South African Journal of Animal Science 2004, 34 (4)
© South African Society for Animal Science
220
At day 21 the feed intake differed significantly between treatments. The feed intake of the birds fed
on the diet containing 48 mg EOM/kg was the highest and those consuming the control diet the lowest. There
were also significantly differences between the treatments in the feed intake at 42 days of age, viz. the feed
intake of the broilers was significantly increased by the supplementation of 36 mg EOM/kg, the probiotic
and 48 mg EOM/kg when compared to the negative control, but there were no significant differences in the
feed intake between the organic acid and probiotic or essential oil mixture treatments. No significant
differences were found for feed conversion ratios between treatments at 21 days of age. On the other hand,
after 42 days, the supplementation of 36 mg or 48 mg EOM/kg improved (P < 0.05) the feed conversion
ratio compared to those of the organic acid and negative control treatments. However, there were no
significant differences between probiotic and both of essential oil mixtures (36 mg and 48 mg EOM/kg). The
effects on the 21st and 42nd days of experiment of the dietary essential oil mixture, organic acid and probiotic
on body weight gain, carcass yield, intestinal weight, abdominal fat and mortality of broilers are given in
Table 3.
Table 3 The effect of the inclusion of an essential oil mixture (EOM), an organic acid and a probiotic on
body weight gain (g), carcass yield (%), intestinal weight (g), abdominal fat (g) and mortality (%) of broilers
Treatments Body weight
g
Body weight gain
g
Carcass
yield, %
Intestinal
weight, %
Abdominal
fat, %
Mortality
%
1 day 21 days* 42 days* 42 days* 42 days* 42 days 42 days
Control 40.9 543.6d1909.0c73.9b3.30a1.78 0.8
2.5 g Organic acid/kg 40.8 566.2bc 1937.5c73.9b3.09b2.05 0.8
1.0 g Probiotic/kg 40.7 562.1c2015.3b74.3b3.14ab 1.97 1.2
36 mg EOM/kg 40.3 578.3b2063.7a74.3b3.01b1.94 1.2
48 mg EOM/kg 40.6 595.2a2060.7a75.2a2.99b1.97 1.2
s.e.m. pooled 0.47 4.91 15.26 0.28 0.07 0.10 1.2
P
0.890 0.0001 0.0001 0.0102 0.0147 0.4506 0.4017
*Means within columns with different superscripts differ at P < 0.05
As shown in Table 3, there were significant effects of dietary treatments on body weight gain of
broilers at 21 and 42 days of age. Birds fed the diet supplemented with 48 mg EOM/kg had a significantly
higher body weight gain at day 21 compared to those birds fed on diets containing 36 mg EOM/kg, organic
acid, probiotic and the negative control. On the other hand, significant differences on the body weight gain
were not found between organic acid and 36 mg EOM/kg treatments, whereas the broilers receiving the
probiotic showed significantly lower body weight gains compared to those on the 36 mg EOM/kg treatment.
Furthermore, organic acid and probiotic treatments had similar body weight gains at 21 days of age. From 1
to 42 days of age, body weight gain was also significantly different between the treatments; birds fed the diet
containing 36 mg EOM/kg being highest. This treatment was followed by chicks fed the diet containing 48
mg EOM/kg, probiotic, organic acid and the negative control. The carcass yield and intestinal weight of
broilers differed (P < 0.05) between treatments at day 42. The birds fed the diet containing 48 mg EOM/kg
had a higher (P < 0.05) carcass yield compared with the 36 mg EOM/kg, probiotic, organic acid and negative
control treatments. Intestinal weight of broilers was reduced (P < 0.05) by the addition of the essential oil
mixture both at inclusion rates of 36 mg EOM/kg and 48 mg EOM/kg and by the organic acid compared with
negative control. However, there were no significant differences on the intestinal weight between broilers fed
the diet supplemented probiotic and negative control. Deposition of abdominal fat and mortality of the
broilers were not affected by the dietary treatments.
The addition of a mixture of herbal essential oils to the diet increased (P < 0.05) body weight gain of
the broilers at 42 days of age. The improvement in body weight gain in this study agreed with results
reported by Hertrampf (2001), McCartney (2002), Tucker (2002), Alçiçek et al. (2003) and Demir et al.
(2003). However, contrary to these findings, Botsoglou et al. (2002) and Botsoglou et al. (2004) found that
the addition of an essential oil isolated from oregano to broiler diet had no beneficial effect on performance.
A beneficial effect on body weight gain was also found when broiler chicks were fed a diet supplemented
The South African Journal of Animal Science is available online at http://www.sasas.co.za/Sajas.html
South African Journal of Animal Science 2004, 34 (4)
© South African Society for Animal Science
221
with probiotic compared with organic acid and negative control, as reported by Cavazzoni et al. (1998), Jin
et al. (1998) and Zilkifli et al. (2000).
The addition of the essential oil mixture to the broiler diet improved (P < 0.05) feed conversion ratio
compared with the control and the organic acid supplemented diet at 42 days of age. The better feed
conversion ratio in our study supported the results of Mandal et al. (2000) and Jamroz & Kamel (2002) who
observed that the broilers receiving plant extracts had significantly better body weight gain than their
controls. Furthermore, Langhout (2000) and Williams & Losa (2001) reported that the inclusion of a blend of
essential oil to broiler diet improved not only feed efficiency, but also the digestion process. These results
suggest that the improved digestibility of the nutrients leads to a more balanced gut flora with the potential to
reduce the proportion of pathogenic bacteria. The benefits of the use of essential oils in broiler nutrition may
be due to the greater efficiency in the utilization of feed, resulting in enhanced growth.
The supplementation of the diet with 48 mg EOM/kg increased (P < 0.05) the carcass yields of the
broilers compared with other treatments, while significantly reduced the intestinal weight of the broiler. Our
findings are in agreement with those of Jamroz & Kamel (2002) who found higher slaughter percentages of
breast muscle in broilers. Contrary to our results on carcass yield, Mandal et al. (2000) observed that the
carcass yield was not affected by the dietary essential oil treatments.
Conclusions
The results obtained from this study indicated that the supplementation of a mixture of herbal essential
oils to the diet significantly improved the body weight gain, feed conversion ratio and carcass yield of
broilers when compared with organic acid and probiotic treatments. The herbal essential oil mixture may be
considered as a growth promoter similar to organic acids and probiotics with the potential to achieve an
environmental friendly broiler production system. However, more and detailed research are required on the
effect of essential oil supplementation to diet on performance of broilers.
Acknowledgements
Technical and financial assistance of Poultry Research Institute of Erbeyli, Aydın and Herba Ltd. Co.,
Izmir-Turkey is gratefully acknowledged.
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... Considerable effort has also been devoted to essential oils which are the products which are obtained from natural and aromatic plants by steam distillation. Some essential oils obtained from different sources were used in broiler diets to determine the effects on growth performance, digestibility and digestive systems [7][8][9][10]. Several researchers showed that the supplementation of some essential oils increased the live weight [11] and improved feed conversion ratio [12][13][14][15]. ...
... increment more than the control (1.52kg) which does not have any type of Oregostim. The body weight gain also followed the same trend, all these are in agreement with the findings of [8,31,32]. ...
... lower than the T 0 (control) without Oregostim. This shows that finisher broilers in T 1 and T 2 consumed same feed as the control, but produced a better body weight (1.73kg and 1.70kg) and weight gain (0.98 and 0.94kg) than the control (1.52kg) and (0.76kg) respectively, this is attributable to increased digestion due to supplementation with with Oregostim [8]. ...
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... These results are in line with those found by Chowdhury et al. (2009) and Hassan et al. (2010) who reported a significant increase in dressing percentage using citric acid in the feed. The results agree with Alcicek et al. (2004) who reported an increase in dressing percentage as compared to control by the use of an organic acid mixture containing citric acid. Acidification might have increased cell proliferation and in this manner increased muscle size. ...
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... Karaalp et al (2011) indicted that the adding0, 2 and 4 g/kg bay laurel leaves to Japanese quails diets had no effect on performance. Alçiçek et al (2003) reported that essential oil combination (Oregano oil (Origanum sp.), laurel leaf oil (Laurus nobilis L.), sage leaf oil (Salvia triloba L.), myrtle leaf oil (Myrtus communis), fennel seeds oil (Foeniculum vulgare) and citrus peel oil (Citrus sp.)) had a significant effect on body weight and FCR of broilers. 0, 1, 2 and 3 g/kg the inclusion of laurel leaf improved the body weight, body weight gain, feed intake, FCR, and mortality rate of broiler chickens according to Ali and Al-Shuhaib (2020). ...
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... Marcinčák et al. (2011) have earlier reported that the effect of phyto-additives is dependent on the used plants in feeding as well as the quantity. Alcicek et al. (2004) and Brenes and Roura (2010) suggested that this challenge could be addressed by supplementation of different herb combinations with varying constituents for a synergistic effect. ...
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The effect of dietary supplementation of Ethiopian pepper (Xylopia aethiopica) and clove (Syzygium aromaticum) and their composite on nutrient digestibility, gut microflora, carcass yield, and meat microbiology were investigated in a 52-day boiler feeding trial. Three hundred and sixty unsexed Ross broilers were used for the study. Four experimental diets were formulated for the starter (0–28 days) and finisher (29–56 days) phases: diet 1 was the control without phytogenic supplementation, diet 2 (supplemented with 1% Ethiopian pepper (EP)), diet 3 (supplemented with 1% clove (CL)), and diet 4 (supplemented with 1% mix of equal quantity (0.5% each) of Ethiopian pepper and clove (EPCL)). Each treatment was replicated 6 times with 15 birds per replicate. Nutrient digestibility was determined on days 28 and 56, gut microflora was determined for the small intestine and caecum on day 56, carcass yield, organ weights, and meat microbiology were also determined on day 56. Data obtained were subjected to a one-way analysis of variance using SAS 2000 and significant means were separated using Tukey’s test in the same software. At day 28, broilers fed the diet supplemented EPCL had the highest (P < 0.05) dry matter digestibility (DMD, 86.81%) crude protein digestibility (CPD, 71.28%), and ash digestibility (64.24%). Broilers fed EP supplemented diet had reduced (P < 0.05) DMD (70.50%). Increased (P < 0.05) ether extract digestibility (EED) was observed for broilers fed the diet supplemented CL (75.27%) and EPCL (76.43%). Ash digestibility (AD) was lowest (P < 0.05) for broilers fed control diet (50.30%). At day 56, broilers fed the diet supplemented CL and those fed the EPCL supplemented diet had higher (P < 0.05) CPD (78.07%, 79.35%) and EED (70.20%, 71.42%) than other treatments. Ash digestibility was higher (P < 0.05) for broilers fed diet supplemented EPCL (74.60%) than other treatments. Intestinal clostridium count reduced (P < 0.05) and lactobacillus count increased (P < 0.05) in the intestine and caecum of broilers fed the diet supplemented CL and those fed EPCL supplemented diet. Intestinal coliform and salmonella count reduced (P < 0.05) for broilers fed the diet supplemented EP and those fed the EPCL supplemented diet. Dietary supplementation of EPCL resulted in the highest (P < 0.05) body weight (BW, 2551.38 g), dressing percentage (DP, 81.68%), and percentage of breast muscle (20.01%). Supplementation of EP, CL, and EPCL in the diet of broilers resulted in higher (P < 0.05) spleen weight while dietary supplementation of EP and EPCL resulted in higher (P < 0.05) thymus weight. Clostridium count was reduced (P < 0.05) in the meat of broilers fed the diet supplemented CL and EPCL and the lowest (P < 0.05) salmonella count was observed in the meat of broilers fed the diet supplemented with EPCL. In conclusion, the current study reveals that dietary supplementation with EP and CL composite improves nutrient digestibility, gut microflora, and dressing percentage with reduced meat microbial load of broilers.
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In this chapter, the effects of phytogenic feed additives (PFAs) on the performance, intestinal health, microbiota, oxidative stress, antioxidant defense system, gene expression, and protein production of poultry were examined. PFAs consist of plant-derived components such as essential oils, flavonoids, saponins, phenolic compounds, and alkaloids. They have gained increasing popularity in recent years as alternative growth-promoting products to antibiotics used for animal nutrition. Studies have indicated that PFAs positively affect the overall health and productivity of poultry. Indeed, it has been observed that the use of PFAs in poultry nutrition enhances performance, modifies intestinal microbiota and morphology, and modulates gene expression and protein synthesis. Thus, the use of PFAs in poultry farming is an important alternative to increasing productivity and transitioning to a more sustainable and natural production system. However, further research is needed to understand the efficacy and safety of PFAs, interactions between different phytogenic components, and their synergistic effects. Furthermore, determining the appropriate levels and application methods is crucial to guide producers and reach a wider audience in poultry farming. In conclusion, supporting the use of phytogenic feed additives within the framework of legal regulations and standards is important for the sustainability of the industry and health of consumers.
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Abstract: Firstly, this study aimed to evaluate the effects on hatchability and relative weights of yolk, metabolic organ (heart, liver, breast muscle, and thigh muscle) and total digestive system (GUT) of in ovo feeding of cinnamon, ginger or anise extract. Secondly, it was investigated to determine the appropriate dose of cinnamon, ginger or anise extract in in ovo feeding. For this purpose, 480 fertilized broiler eggs were randomly distributed into 12 groups with four replicates as a factorial arrangement of three extracts (cinnamon, ginger, anise) x 4 doses (0, 3, 9, 12 mg/egg) to hatching trays. On the 18th day of incubation, 1 ml of 0.9% saline solution containing 0, 3, 9, 12 mg of cinnamon, ginger or anise extract was injected into the eggs with a 19 mm and 27-gauge needle. The cinnamon and ginger groups had higher hatchability, chick quality and proventriculus weight, while the anise group had higher thigh muscle weight. Chick weight was 12 mg/egg, chick quality was 0 and 3 mg/egg, breast muscle weight was 9 mg/egg, and liver, gizzard and GUT weights were higher at 0, 3 and 9 mg/egg in ovo extract doses. In ovo anise injection increased the number of non‐pipped dead embryos. The interaction effect of factors on the hatchability and chick quality were found significant. The results of this study indicate that 9 mg/egg cinnamon, 12 mg/egg ginger, and 3 mg/egg anise extract can be used in in ovo injection without negative effects on the investigated parameters. The role of in ovo cinnamon, ginger or anise extract injection in broiler needs further research.
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One thousand two hundred and fifty sexed day-old broiler chicks obtained from a commercial hatchery were divided randomly into five treatment groups (negative control, antibiotic and essential oil combination (EOC) at three levels) of 250 birds each. Each treatment group was further sub-divided into five replicates of 50 birds (25 male and 25 female) per replicate. The oil in the EOC was extracted from different herbs growing in Turkey. The EOC at 24, 48 or 72 mg/kg diet and an antibiotic at 10 mg avilamycin/kg diet were added to the basal diet. There were significant effects of dietary treatments on body weight, feed intake (except at day 42), feed conversion ratio and carcass yield at 21 and 42 days. Body weights were significantly different between the treatments. The birds fed the diet containing 48 mg essential oil/kg were the highest, followed by those receiving the diets containing 72 mg essential oil/kg, the antibiotic, the negative control and the 24 mg essential oil/kg at day 42, respectively. From 1 to 21 and 1 to 42 days of age, feed conversion ratios were improved significantly by the supplementation with 48 and 72 mg essential oil/kg diet. The feed intakes were significantly different between the treatments at 21 days, but not at 42 days. Supplementation in excess of 48 mg EOC/kg had no additional beneficial effect on body weight, feed intake, feed conversion ratio and carcass yield. The EOC, a feed additive of natural origin, may be considered as a potential growth promoter in broiler production.
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A study was conducted with female broilers to investigate the effects of five herbal natural feed additives as alternative to an antibiotic growth promoter. In the experiment, a total of seventy-two day-old female broiler chicks were randomly assigned to six groups containing 12 chicks each and raised from 0 to 42 d of age. The treatment groups were supplemented with antibiotic growth promoter, oregano, du-sacch, quiponin, garlic and thyme powder, respectively. Differences in body weight gain, feed intake and feed efficiency of broilers fed diets supplemented with antibiotic growth promoter and five herbal natural feed additives were not significant from 0 to 42 d of age. In addition, some blood parameters and the concentration of E. coli in caecum were not significantly affected (P > 0.05) by the dietary treatments. The depth of crypts in ileum was significantly reduced (P < 0.05) by inclusion of garlic and thyme in diets in comparison to diets supplemented with antibiotic growth promoter, oregano and du-sacch. The feed costs per kg of weight gain in broilers fed diets supplemented with oregano, garlic and thyme was higher than in those given diets supplemented with du-sacch, quiponin and antibiotic growth promoter. Results of this experiment demonstrated that the herbal natural feed additives such as oregano, du-sacch, quiponin, garlic and thyme may be used as alternatives to an antibiotic growth promoter in broiler production.
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The specific aim of this study was to determine the effects of the supplementation of separate probiotic (protexin), including organic acid combination, plant extracts, mineral salts (genex) and antibiotic (flavomycin) to broiler diets on performance, abdominal fat weight, abdominal fat percentage, liver weight, intestinal weight, intestinal length, intestinal pH, carcass weight, carcass yield of broiler chicks. In this study, 84 one-day old male broiler chicks were used and divided equally into 6 groups. When the control group was fed a diet without supplemented diet probiotic (0.1% protexin), organic acid (0.2% genex), probiotic + organic acid (0.1% protexin + 0.2% genex), antibiotic (0.15% flavomycin) and antibiotic + organic acid (0.15% flavomycin +0.2% genex) were added to the diets of the experimental groups respectively. The experimental period was 42 days. The results obtained in the experiment showed that the group receiving 0.15% flavomycin + 0.2% genex supplemented in the basal diet was exhibited higher body weight gain, feed intake and carcass weight and better feed efficiency respectively than the control and other groups (P<0.05). However liver weight, intestinal pH, and abdominal fat weight were not affected significantly by probiotic, antibiotic and organic acid treatments (P>0.05).