Effect of Supplementing a Blend of Essential Oils on the Growth Performance, Carcass Characteristics, Meat Quality, Serological Parameters and Gut Health in Broiler Chickens

Abstract

For an extended period, the poultry industry has employed antibiotics as feed additives to enhance the growth of birds. Nevertheless, the utilization of antibiotics raises significant concerns regarding the development of antimicrobial resistance. Consequently, it is essential to identify effective and safe alternatives for feed additives, such as essential oils. The study was meticulously designed to assess the effects of essential oil blends as feed additives in broilers. A total of 600 day-old broiler chicks (n=600) were randomly assigned to five treatment groups, each comprising three replicates with 40 birds per replicate. Treatments were the following: Group A (basal diet + antibiotics) positive control, Group B (basal diet only) negative control, Groups C, D, and E consisted of essential oil blend at the dose rate of 0.12mL/kg, 0.25mL/kg, and 0.50mL/kg of feed, respectively. The duration of the trial was 35 days. The findings revealed significant improvement in body weight and feed conversion ratio (FCR), while feed consumption showed no notable changes. Body weight gain and FCR were significantly better in group E. There was no significant improvement in carcass characteristics like eviscerated, dressed, and giblet weights. Meat pH, meat color, and antibody titer against ND were affected significantly (P<0.05) by treatment group E. Villus length was significantly higher in group D, while crypt depth and villus width remained unaltered. Total bacteria count was noticed to be lower in treatment groups than in control groups. In conclusion, essential oil supplementation has enhanced performance, gut health, meat quality, immunity and decreased total bacterial count.