Efficacy of early chick nutrition with Aloe vera and Azadirachta indica on gut health and histomorphometry in chicks

Abstract

Aim:This study was conducted with an aim of studying the efficacy of water supplements of Aloe vera and Azadirachta indica (neem) during pre-starter age (0-2 weeks) on gut health and histomorphometry in Vanaraja chicks.Materials and Methods:A total of 192 day old Vanaraja chicks were randomly assigned to one of four herbal water treatments throughout the experimental pre-starter stage (0-2 weeks) in a completely randomized design. Each treatment was given four replicates consisting of 12 chicks per replicate. Water treatments comprised T1: Control with regular antibiotic supplement, T2: 3 ml Aloe juice per chick per day, T3: 3 ml neem extract per chick per day, T4: 1.5 ml Aloe and 1.5 ml neem per chick per day. Gut culture was done for Escherichia coli and Lactobacillus sps. and gut histomorphometry in 24 gut samples at 14 days of age.Results:This study revealed that supplementation of A. vera and neem in water significantly (p<0.05) reduced and increased the number of gut E. coli and Lactobacillus sps. Colonies, respectively, as compared to that of control groups; Villi was significantly (p<0.05) taller and broader on 14 days of age across the jejunum of chicks fed with neem supplementation as compared to that of control chicks. Significantly lower crypt depth (p<0.05) was observed in the duodenum of Aloe supplementation. Villus height: Crypt depth ratio of duodenum and jejunum was significantly (p<0.05) increased neem and Aloe supplementation in chicks as compared to their combination and control.Conclusion:Immediate post hatch supplementation of Aloe juice and neem extract in chicks improved the development and health of their gut.

The Potential Efficacy of Aloe Vera Gel and Yucca Schidigeraextract on Growth Performance, Intestinal Lesions and Inflammatory Response in Broiler Chickens Challenged With Coccidia

“…Previous studies reported increased Lactobacillus count and reduced Escherichia coli count in the gut of broilers by supplementing diets with AV (Sujatha et al, 2017). Short-chain fatty acids, as the final product of fermentation by Lactobacillus bacteria, improve intestinal morphology and might have stimulated the proliferation of epithelial cells of the bowel (Olnood et al, 2015).…”

Effect of traditional medicinal plants on the pathogenic potential of the versatile pathogen Staphylococcus aureus

“…Besides, leaf extract of Neem showed significant antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus (Akinduti et al, 2022). In addition, the efficacy of Neem has been demonstrated in dentistry (Lakshmi et al, 2015;Latif et al, 2020;Pai et al, 2004) and in poultry gut (Ali et al, 2021;Sujatha et al, 2017).…”

Effects of feeding a thermomechanical, enzyme-facilitated, coprocessed yeast and soybean meal on growth performance, organ weights, leg health, and gut development of broiler chickens

“…To date, different early nutrition strategies have been proposed in chickens as valuable tools to drive gut health and development ( Yegani and Korver, 2008 ). They mainly focused on offering high-quality and highly digestible protein and energy sources to young chicks, considering their specific needs and the immaturity of their gastrointestinal tract ( Sujatha et al, 2017 ). Soybean meal ( SBM ) is the most used protein source worldwide, but—like most of the plant proteins—it has a high concentration of antinutritional factors ( ANFs ), which decrease its nutritive value ( Beski et al, 2015 ).…”