Evaluation of health status in broilers fed with a mixture of Dayak onion extract and Lactobacillus acidophilus

Abstract

Objective: The feeding effects of DoLa (a combination of Dayak onion extract and probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus ) on hematological indices and lymphoid organs as indicators of broiler health status were evaluated in the present study. Materials and Methods: 192 1-day-old unsexed broilers of the CP 707 strain with a body weight of 46.43 ± 1.65 gm were randomly divided into 4 dietary treatments with 6 replications. The dietary treatments applied were basal diet (BD) as a control with a code of DoLa0, BD + 0.1% DoLa (DoLa1), BD + 0.2% DoLa (DoLa2), and BD + 0.3% DoLa (DoLa3). The parameters monitored included hemoglobin (Hb), red blood cell (RBC), heterophile (H), lymphocyte (L), white blood cell (WBC), heterophile-lymphocyte (H/L) ratio, the lymphoid organs (bursa Fabricius, spleen, and thymus) relative weight, as well as carcass weight. Results: The results indicated a significant improvement in WBC, L, and carcass weight ( p < 0.05) as the feeding level of DoLa increased while the H and H/L ratio decreased. However, the dietary inclusion of DoLa did not affect the lymphoid organs’ relative weight, RBC, and Hb concentrations. Conclusion: The mixture at 0.3% significantly improved health status through the indicators of hematological indices, lymphoid organs, and carcass weight of broilers.