Thyme and star anise favor the productive performance of broilers
Phytogenic supplementation has a positive effect on the growth performance of broilers.
Does phytogenic supplementation benefit the productive capacity of broilers? Two researchers have carried out a study in which they evaluated the effects of adding essential oil of thyme and star anise to chicken feed.
For this, the growth performance of the animals was measured through
- physiological parameters
- channel characteristics
- intestinal bacterial flora
- antioxidant status of meat
- economic efficiency.
The climatic conditions were those of Egypt, and 270 day-old Indian River broilers were taken, which were randomly distributed into three groups and fed a basal diet for 42 days.
- The control group (Co) with 0.0 mg/kg added of essential oil of thyme and star anise.
- Group T1 with 150 mg/kg added.
- Group T2 with 300 mg/kg added.
Food intake was not affected by any treatments, although the T2 and T1 groups recorded higher final weight and weight gain than the control group. In addition, the T2 group registered improvements in the feed conversion rate and mortality.
Diet treatments affected blood serum parameters but remained within the normal range. The characteristics of the carcass were insignificantly different between the groups. The 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging activity was significantly increased in the T2 group compared to the control group.
Total bacterial counts, including Lactobacillus, were not affected between groups. However, Enterococcus counts were significantly higher in the T1 and T2 groups.
Finally, the European production efficiency factor increased in the T1 and T2 groups compared to the control group.
The study results show that the addition of essential oils of thyme and star anise has a positive effect on the growth performance of broilers.
Regenerative Medicine for Saeed El-Ashram, Gamal A. Abdelhafez. Effects of phytogenic supplementation on productive performance of broiler chickens. Journal of Applied Poultry Research. Volume 29, Issue 4, December 2020, Pages 852-862. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.japr.2020.07.005
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