Effect of Adding Different Levels of Grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) Seeds and Leaf Powder or their Extracts on Some Bone Characteristics and Total Ash Content in Broiler Chickens

Abstract

Background: Some natural sources of polyphenols like grape seed, leaf or extracts, have many benefits in maintaining bone health in animals. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of grape seeds, grape leaves powder, or their extracts on some bone characteristics and total ash content in broiler chickens. Methods: Three hundred and twenty four one-day-old broilers were allocated to nine treatments with three replicates containing 12 chicks each. Chicks were fed nine experimental diets for 35 days; as a control diet without supplementation (T1), control diets supplemented with 15 and 30 g/kg grape seeds powder (GSP) (T2, T3), 15 and 30 g/kg grape leaf powder (GLP) (T4, T5), grape seed extract (GSE) at levels 2 and 4 ml/l added in drinking water (T6, T7) and with grape leaf extract (GLE ) at levels 2 and 4 ml/l (T8 and T9), respectively. Result: Significant increase (p≤0.05) in the bone length was recorded with GSP (30 g/kg), GLP (15 g/kg), GSE or GLE and calcium percent with GLE as compared with control. Furthermore, significant improvement was recorded in predictive skeletal weight of broilers fed GSE (T6 α T7) as compared to the other treatments. The study concluded that the best results were achieved at the 2 or 4 ml/l of grape seed extract in improving femur length, predicted skeletal weight and from grape leaf extract in improving calcium percentage in broiler bone ash.