Effects of a Dietary Herbal Mixture on Growth Performance, Metabolic Status, and Intestinal Health Parameters in Broiler Chickens

Abstract

Abstract: Background: In this study, the effects of supplementation with a dietary herbal mixture on growth performance, metabolic parameters, intestinal health, and nutrient transporter expression through Immunohistochemistery in broiler chickens is analyzed. This study was conducted in the specific environmental conditions of Wasit Province, Iraq. Ross 308 broiler (Twenty-day-old) chicks were randomly assigned to three dietary treatment groups during the study period (10 days) as followings: control group (basal diet without additives); T1 group (basal diet with 0.5 g/kg herbal mixture), and T2 group (basal diet with 1.0 g/kg herbal mixture). The herbal mixture was made of thyme (Thymus vulgaris), oregano (Origanum vulgare), and ginger (Zingiber officinale). These herbs mixture ratio was 40:40:20, respectively. The findings of the current study revealed significant (p < 0.05) differences among treatment groups. T2 group showed the highest enhancements (6.1%) of body weight (1.75 ± 0.03 kg) than in control chickens (1.65 ± 0.05 kg). It also demonstrated 8.0% improvement in feed conversion ratio (1.49 ± 0.02) than in controls (1.62 ± 0.02). Moreover, it revealed a significant up regulation of nutrient transporters and tight junction proteins. Overall, these results indicate that the supplementation of the herbal combination at a concentration of 1.0 g/kg of feed does promote growth performance, metabolic status, and intestinal health by improving absorption capacity and gut barrier function in broiler chickens in Iraq.