Herbal Plants as Feed Additives in Broiler Chicken Diets

Abstract

This study evaluated the effect of some herbal plants as natural feed additives on broiler production parameters, carcass parts, and breast meat quality. A total of 150 broiler chicks, Cobb 500 hybrid, were allocated to five treatments with 30 broilers /group, for 42 days. The experimental treatments were: Control (C); a diet containing 5% alfalfa meal (A); a diet containing 5% alfalfa meal and 1% basil (AB); a diet containing 5% alfalfa and 1% thyme (AT) and a diet containing 5% alfalfa and 1% sage (AS). Bodyweight was significantly (P<0.05) affected in AS group compared with C and A groups. Feed conversion ratio was significantly higher only in A and AB groups. Experimental groups had significantly greater (P<0.05) gizzard weight. The total polyphenols content and the antioxidant capacity were significantly (P<0.05) higher in AB, AT, and AS groups versus the C group. The cholesterol concentration was significantly (P<0.05) decreased in AB, AT, and AS meat samples compared with C and A samples. Instrumental colour measurements indicated significant alterations (P<0.05) among the groups regarding the values of L*, a*, b*, H°, C*, and ΔE*. The texture analysis showed that hardness, gumminess, and chewiness were significantly (P<0.05) higher in AB, AT, and AS groups than in C and A groups.

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

“…Some herbal materials are administered to broilers in powder form rather than being extracted, and they nonetheless have a high crude fiber content. This sort of herbal administration (which contains a lot of crude fiber) might induce nutrient imbalances and slow metabolism, thus inhibiting the growth of broiler chickens (Vlaicu et al, 2021).…”

“…Another issue that may be encountered during feeding trials using herbal additives is the lower feed intake by chickens (Demir et al, 2005). In this case, the low palatability due to the bitter taste (Sugiharto, 2021;Vlaicu et al, 2021) may result in reduced feed intake and lower nutrient availability for broiler growth.…”

Nutritional Composition and Bioactive Compounds of Basil, Thyme and Sage Plant Additives and Their Functionality on Broiler Thigh Meat Quality

“…Water and feed were available ad libitum. The ingredients of the experimental diets and their chemical composition are described elsewhere [12].…”

“…A review of a series of studies concludes that the inclusion of basil, thyme and sage in broilers diets led to improved productive performance, nutrient digestibility and immune status of animals [10]. Recent experimental evidence supports the benefits attributed to dietary basil [7], thyme [11] and sage [12] plants as feed additives in broiler chickens' diets. However, because plants also contain tannin, saponin, and other polyphenolic chemicals, an excessive amount of plant supplementation in broilers may have deleterious implications [13].…”

The Effects of the Magnetic Drinking Water in Poultry: a Review

“…In addition, some studies have concluded that magnetic treatment improved the quality of the well water and it have positive effects on the reproductive properties (Wang et al, 1998;Al-Daraji and Aziz, 2008;Hassan et al, 2018;El Sabrout and El-Hanoun, 2019). Broilers that drank MW had better hatchability, viability (El-Hanoun et al, 2017) and health (Olteanu et al, 2012). The magnetized water (500 and 1000 gauss) improved all biochemical and physiological properties of Japanese quail, which could help to improve productivity, although 1000 gauss MW showed a better effect (Al-Hilali, 2018).…”