The current experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of feeding dried sweet orange peel (SOP) and lemon grass leaves (LGL) as feed additives on broiler growth performance, serum metabolites, and antioxidant status. A total of 192-day-old (Ross 308) broiler chickens were distributed randomly into 4 dietary treatments with 4 replicates per each treatment. The dietary treatments included a control diet without any feed additive (T1), a diet containing 0.8 % SOP (T2), a diet containing 0.8 % LGL (T3), and a diet containing combination of 0.4 % SOP + 0.4 % LGL (T4) was fed during the growth period from 22 to 42 days. Feed intake (FI), body weight gain (BWG), feed conversion ratio (FCR), carcass traits, serum components, and antioxidant status were measured. At the end of the experimental period, the results indicated that supplementation of SOP and LGL alone or in combination did not significantly (P > 0.05) affect BWG, FI, FCR, and carcass characteristics in broiler chickens. Serum total protein was increased significantly (P < 0.05) in T3 and T4 compared to the other treatments. Also, serum globulin increased significantly (P < 0.05) in the treated groups. Serum glucose, low density lipoprotein, triglyceride, and very low density lipoprotein decreased significantly (P < 0.05) in the treatment groups, while cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein decreased in T2 compared to the other groups. Significantly (P < 0.05) higher total antioxidant status was observed in T2 compared to the other treatments. In conclusion, these results indicate that SOP, LGL, and their combination may positively modify some serum components and the antioxidant status without any beneficial effect on growth performance and carcass traits in broiler chickens.

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The present study aimed at evaluating the effects of probiotics, prebiotics and their combination on intestinal histological changes in broiler chickens challenged with Clostridium perfringens. Two hundred and forty newly hatched male broilers (Ross 308) were equally distributed into six treatments: negative control group: unsupplemented unchallenged birds; positive control group: unsupplemented challenged birds; neoxyval-fed group: 0.5 g/kg diet (antibiotic) challenged birds; GalliPro-fed group: 0.6 g/kg diet (probiotic), challenged birds; TechnoMos-fed group: 0.75 g/kg diet (prebiotic), challenged birds; and synbiotic-fed group: birds challenged by C. Perfringens (4 x 10 8 CFU /mL). At 35 days old, samples from the ileum and jejunum were collected for histological measurements (height, width and villus surface area), and histopathological changes were assessed. The results showed that the length and surface area of villi in the ileum and jejunum were lower in the positive control, whereas length and surface area of villi in the ileum and jejunum of all feed additive treatments were higher, compared with the positive control and antibiotics. Necrotic enteritis (NE) development was evident in the positive control group. Signs of necrosis of the mucosal membranes, haemorrhage and fibrosis with depletions of gut associated lymph follicle (GALF) in submucosal layer were very clear. Pathological changes improved in all feed additives, except for the antibiotics. These results indicated that alternatives to antibiotics could be used to improve the length and surface area of a villus and the health of the animal by suppressing C. perfringens.

The current study focused exclusively on evaluating the effects of replacing corn with olive cake meal (OCM) in the diet of broilers on their growth performance, abdominal fat, selected plasma parameters, and muscle fatty acid (FA) content. A total of 480 one-day-old male broiler chickens (Ross 308) were divided into four treatment groups with 12 replicates/treatment. The control group was fed the base diet, whereas the second to fourth groups were fed diets of corn with 5%, 10%, and 20% contents of OCM, respectively. Broilers fed with the 5% and 10% OCM diets showed better body weight (p = 0.04) and feed conversion ratio than the 20% OCM group (p < 0.048). Both nitrogen retention and ether extract digestibility were not improved by replaced corn with OCM. Replacing corn with OCM led to a decreased abdominal fat percentage (p = 0.023) compared with the control group. Birds in the OCM groups showed the lowest total cholesterol values (p = 0.038). The breast muscle (musculus pectoralis superficialis) content of oleic and linoleic, linolenic, and arachidonic acids was significantly high in birds fed with OCM diets. However, their palmitic acid level was significantly decreased. Vitamin E was increased by increasing the OCM level. Thus, we concluded that replacing corn with OCM, especially at a 10% level, is more effective than other replacement levels in improving growth performance, plasma lipid profile, and muscle FA content, as well as in causing a reduction in abdominal fat in broilers.