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The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of dietary fish oil (FO) and rooibos supplementation on semen quality, fatty acids composition and reproductive performance of aged male broiler breeders. Seventy‐two 47‐week‐old Ross broiler breeder roosters were randomly assigned to a 2 × 3 factorial arrangements to include two FO concentrations (0% and 2%) and 3 rooibos concentrations (0%, 1.5% and 3%) for 13 weeks consecutive. The different diets affected semen parameters significantly (p < 0.05), except for the semen concentration and abnormality of the sperm. The sperm of the FO and 3% rooibos‐treated group showed better motility and viability when compared to the other groups (p < 0.05). The susceptibility of semen to lipid peroxidation was increased in roosters fed the rooibos‐free diets (p < 0.05), but it was reduced (p < 0.05) when the diet was supplemented with 1.5% and 3% rooibos. In addition, at 64 weeks, the highest concentration of testosterone was observed in the roosters fed a diet that included 2% FO and 3% rooibos (p < 0.05); however, the difference in testosterone levels between Week 52 and Week 64 was not significant (p > 0.05). The fertility rate of collected eggs from the FO and 3% rooibos group was higher (p < 0.05) than that of the other groups at the end of the experiment. In conclusion, dietary inclusion of FO along with rooibos improved seminal quality and reproduction performance in aged roosters.

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This investigation was aimed to evaluate the effects of Silybum marianum seed, Thymus vulgaris, and Rosmarinus officinalis powders and their combination in alleviating the risks of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in young broiler chicks. One-day-old Ross 308 male broiler chickens were allocated to 6 experimental groups from d 1 to 21. The experimental dietary groups included: Negative control (NC) received the basal diet, Positive control (PC) containing 2 mg AFB1/kg diet; Positive control + 10 g/kg diet of Silybum marianum seed (SMS); Positive control + 10 g/kg diet of Thymus vulgaris (TV); Positive control + 5 g/kg diet of Rosmarinus officinalis (RO); Positive control + 10 g/kg diet of SMS + 10 g/kg diet of TV + 5 g/kg diet of RO as a blend of herbs (BH). There was no difference between feed intake and body weight gain among the experimental groups (P>0.05). In contrast, the feed conversion rate (FCR) in NC and SMS groups was lower than other groups (P<0.05). Calcium levels and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) were lower in serum samples, but the activity of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were higher in PC chickens (P<0.05). Increase in the thigh muscle malondialdehyde (MDA) in chickens fed AFB1 was significantly reduced in the NC, SMS, and BH chickens (P<0.05). Chickens of NC and SMS groups showed the highest response to respiratory burst of heterophile (NBT assay) and lymphocyte proliferation assays (MTT assay) (P<0.05). In conclusion, the addition of studied herbs, especially SMS, to the AFB1 contaminated diet could have a protective effect against aflatoxicosis in broiler chickens.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of dietary n-3 fatty acid and ginger (Zingiber officinale) supplementation on semen quality, sperm fatty acids, and reproductive performance of roosters. Seventy-two roosters (30 weeks old) were randomly allocated into 4 dietary treatments including 1) basal diet as the control group (F0G0), 2) basal diet supplemented with 20 g/kg fish oil (F2G0), 3) basal diet supplemented with 30 g/kg ginger powder (F0G3), and 4) basal diet supplemented with 20 g/kg fish oil and 30 g/kg ginger powder (F2G3) for 10 consecutive weeks. The levels of sperm linolenic, EPA, and DHA were higher in fish oil-fed roosters (P<0.05). A lower percentage of sperm linoleic and arachidonic acids were recorded in F2G0 and F2G3 groups (P<0.05). At 38 weeks of age, a higher sperm volume was found in F0G3 roosters than in the F0G0 and F2G0 groups. From week 34 to the end of the experiment, sperm viability, sperm abnormality, and sperm motility were significantly improved in the GP-fed roosters (F0G3 and F2G3 groups) (P<0.05). Significantly lowest sperm concentration overall the experiment was observed in the F2G0 group (P<0.05). Higher testosterone levels and lower malondialdehyde (MDA) content were recorded in F0G3 and F2G3 groups in comparison to the F2G0 (P<0.05). Also, the fertility rate of collected eggs from F0G3 and F2G3 groups was higher compared to F2G0 group (P<0.05). In conclusion, although the use of fish oil in roosters’ diets alone had a negative effect on some parameters related to reproductive performance, the use of ginger powder alone or along with fish oil improved semen quality and fertility potential.