Effects of some dieatary supplementation with phytonutrients on selected biochemical parameters and growth performance in broiler chikens

Abstract

Maintaining bird health, regarding diseases or agents acting on the gastrointestinal tract, is crucial in broiler production, since this is the entry route of nutrients for bird development. Also, it is well known that broiler production is impossible without antibiotics, which are used as growth promoters and in order to suppress overgrowth of pathogenic microflora in the gastrointestinal tract. Taking into account this, we investigated the growth promoting and beneficial effects of three phytoadditives (Ocimum basilicum, Thymus vulgaris and Pimpinella anisum) on growth performances (body weight, total feed intake, feed conversion ratio and carcass yield), concentrations of glucose, total proteins, albumin, total bilirubin, triglycerides and activity of creatine kinase enzyme, in broiler chicks at 56 days of age. On the day of hatching 150 broiler chicks, were divided into five equally groups (n=30). The control group (1st group) of broilers received a basal diet (BD) without any feed additive. The second, third and fourth groups of chicks were fed BD enriched with 1% of Ocimum basilicum pulverised herba, 0.5% of Ocimum basilicum and 0.5% of Thymus vulgaris pulverised herba and 0.5% of Thymus vulgaris herba and 2% of Pimpinella anisum pulverised fructus, respectively. The fifth group was fed with BD mixed with Salinomycin (60 ppm). The results indicated that feeding the diets enriched with selected herbal supplement failed to affect the growth performance of chickens at 56 days of age. In addition, this supplementation had no influence on glucose metabolism, but we observed beneficial effects on some parameters of protein metabolism. The concentration of total proteins was significantly higher in chicks fed with phytoadditives; 41.71±1.08 vs 35.88±1.04 g/L; p<0.01. Albumin concentration was also significantly higher in experimental groups (28.29±1.32 vs 19.73±0.51 g/L; p<0.001). Creatine kinase activity and total bilirubin concentration were significantly reduced in broilers fed with phytoadditives; p<0.05. Ocimim basilicum in combination with Thymus vulgaris decreased the concentration of tryglicerides (0.89±0.02 vs 1.23±0.05 mmol/L; p<0.001), but this was not the case with other phytoadditives. It could be concluded that supplementation of the diet with phytoadditives has a potential to improve health status in broilers. Further examinations are needed in order to elucidate the exact mechanism of action.