Effect of citric acid, herbal feed additive and their combination on the performance of broiler

Abstract

The experiment was conducted with 108 day old straight-run Hubbard Classic broiler chicks for a period of 35 days to investigate the effects of citric acid, commercial herbal additive (Keqinling) and their combination on growth and carcass traits of broiler. The dietary treatments were control (T 0 ), 0.5% citric acid (T 1 ), 0.2% Keqinling (T 2 ) and combination of 0.5% citric acid +0.2% Keqinling (T 3 ). Final live weight was 1615, 1710, 1707 and 1795g in control, 0.5% citric acid, 0.2% Keqinling and their combination groups respectively. The highest live weight gain (1748g) was found in combination group followed by 0.5% citric acid (1664g), 0.2% Keqinling (1660g), and the lowest (1568g)in control group.The highest feed consumption and feed conversion efficiency was observed in T 3 and the lowest in group T 0 . Significantly (p<0.05) the highest dressed yield (%) was found in 0.5% citric acid group (56.65) than combination (55.73) and Keqinling (55.18) and lowest in control group (54.59). Citric acid reduced the pH of the both feed and faces. The cost of production (Tk/kg broiler) was lowest in citric acid group (Tk. 76.22). Net profit per broiler production was found in 0.5% citric acid group (Tk. 10.03/broiler) followed by combination (Tk. 9.28), Keqinling (Tk. 7.31) and control group (Tk. 6.98) respectively. The addition of 0.5% citric acid and 0.2% Keqinling individually or their combination increase the performance of broiler but citric acid showed better response than Keqinling.

Encapsulation as a Way to Improve the Phytogenic Effects of Herbal Additives in Broilers – An Overview

“…Saki et al (2012) also found that the herbal additives (shallot and yarrow) were more effective than AGP (virginiamycin) in terms of broiler growth, intestinal morphology, and ileal microbial population. However, it should be emphasized that while herbal additives may be used as alternatives to AGP, the use of herbs in broiler production may be more expensive than the use of AGP (Demir et al, 2003(Demir et al, , 2005Tanzin et al, 2015). This is due to the higher concentration of herbal compounds that must be added to the feed and the higher price of herbal ingredients over AGP.…”

“…Overall, although some studies showed the potential of herbal additives in replacing the role of AGP and antioxidants, the application of herbs as dietary additives should be carried out carefully as the data reported are inconsistent (Table 3). The cost of broiler production is another consideration, as the use of herbs is more expensive than the use of AGP (Demir et al, 2003(Demir et al, , 2005Tanzin et al, 2015).…”

“…This condition causes the ineffective use of herbal additives as a substitute for AGP for broiler chickens. Increasing the levels or concentrations of herbal additives in feed or drinking water can improve the effectiveness of herbal products; however, this action can increase broiler production costs or even have a negative impact on liver health and nutrient digestibility of broilers (Demir et al, 2005;Tanzin et al, 2015;Al-Mufarrej et al, 2019). There are several reasons why the bioavailability of active components in herbal ingredients is low so that animals, especially monogastric, cannot maximally utilize it.…”