Improved performance due to dietary supplementation with selected herbal extracts of broiler chickens infected with Eimeria spp.
Journal Title: Journal of Animal and Feed Sciences - Year 2013, Vol 22, Issue 3
Abstract
The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of dietary herbal extracts derived from garlic (Allium sativum), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), sage (Salvia officinalis), oregano (Origanum vulgare), nettle (Urtica dioica), purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), or thyme (Thymus vulgaris) on the performance indices and oocyst output in broilers experimentally infected with 190 000 oocysts of Eimeria spp. on day 12 of age. A total of 400 one-day-old Ross 308 broiler chicks was randomly allocated into 10 groups with 5 replicates (cages) of 8 chickens per replicate. Two of the groups, one challenged and the other not, were given a basal maize-soyabean meal diet without any additives; one of the challenged groups was administered a basal diet with the coccidiostat diclazuril (1 mg · kg−1) and the remaining birds of the infected groups were given a diet supplemented with one of the tested herbal extracts at a level of 750 mg · kg−1. Throughout the 42 days of the experiment, performance parameters, mortality, oocyst output, and slaughter indices were recorded. Among the tested herbal extracts, in the first rearing period (9 d post infection), only garlic and sage extracts alleviated the negative effect of infection, as shown by the increase in body weight gain to the level recorded in the coccidiostat-supplemented group and, in the case of garlic extract, by lower mortality. In the second and entire experimental period, dietary supplementation with the herbal extracts improved the growth performance of infected chickens to the level obtained in the groups infected and fed the coccidiostat or the uninfected and unsupplemented ones, but there was no positive effect of extracts on oocyst output. It is concluded that the herbal extracts tested in the current study do not prevent coccidiosis induced by high-pathogenic field Eimeria spp., although they have a beneficial effect on recovery after infection, which was expressed by the favourable impact on compensatory growth and, thus, on the final performance indices.
Authors and Affiliations
A. Arczewska-Włosek, S. Świątkiewicz
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP72992
- DOI -
- Views 78
- Downloads 0
Potential of phytofactors to mitigate rumen ammonia and methane production
The increase in the intensity of ruminant production determines changes in the rumen feed conversion and thus, among other, may increase pool of greenhouse gases emission. The ineffective digestion process and changes in...
New polymorphisms and expression of the porcine ghrelin (GHRL) gene in different pig breeds
Growth and development traits are economically important in animal production, especially in pig breeding. Therefore, the porcine GHRL gene is considered as a candidate gene responsible for growth rate and body weight. T...
The effect of genetically modified maize (MON 810) and soyabean meal (Roundup Ready) on rearing performance and transfer of transgenic DNA to calf tissues
The experiment was performed to determine whether genetically modified maize (MON 810) and soyabean meal (Roundup Ready, MON 40-3-2) used as the main source of feed in a concentrate can affect the performance parameters,...
Net nutrient flux in visceral tissues of goats fed diets based on maize or wheat
The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary starch sources on the net portal-drained viscera (PDV) flux of metabolites in goats fed diets based on maize and wheat, respectively. Eight 8-month-ol...
Expression of IGFBP-3 and IGFBP-5 genes in muscles of pigs representing five different breeds
Insuline like growth factors binding proteins (IGFBP 1-6) modulate action of insuline like growth factors (IGFs) - hormones engaged in the regulation of muscle growth of mammalian organism. The aim of our study was to an...