Abstract
Aim:This study was aimed to evaluate the effects of Artemisia herba-alba (white wormwood) or olive leaf (Olea europaea) powder supplementation on growth performance, carcass yield, and serum biochemical parameters in broilers.Materials and Methods:The study was conducted from April to May 2017 in Chemini region, Northern Algeria. A total of 60 1-day-old Ross 308 male chicks were divided into three groups consisted of 10 chicks, in each of two replications. The chicks in Group 1 were fed with a standard commercial diet (SCD); Group 2 received the same SCD with 2% supplementation of A. herba-alba powder; and Group 3 received the same SCD with 2% supplementation of O. europaea powder. Growth performance was measured with body weights every 2 weeks, daily feed intake, feed conversion ratio (FCR), and carcass yield at the end of 42 days of rearing. Blood samples were collected to analyze serum glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, urea, and total protein levels.Results:Results showed that, at 42 days of rearing, supplementation of O. europaea and A. herba-alba significantly increased (p<0.001) mean body weight (2230.10±26.38 g and 2117.42±26.38 g, respectively, vs. 2336.66±27.88 g in chicks of Group 1), but there was no significant difference (p≥0.05) among the three diets for FCR or percentage carcass yield. Among the serum biochemical parameters, glucose was significantly affected (p<0.01) by supplementation of olive leaf powder (1.90 g/L: Group 3), compared to the SCD (2.24 g/L: Group 1) or Artemisia powder (2.05 g/L: Group 2). Moreover, the supplementation of olive leaf powder in Group 3 broilers significantly affected (p<0.05) the serum cholesterol level (0.95 g/L), compared to the control diet (1.13 g/L). There was no significant difference (p≥0.05) for the other selected serum biochemical concentrations, namely triglycerides, urea, and total protein.Conclusion:The supplementation of Artemisia or olive leaf powder into the diet for broilers improved body weight by about 5% or 10%, respectively, at slaughter with moderate changes in blood biochemical parameters.
Highlights
Intensive poultry production in Algeria depends on exotic chicken strains and on imported feed ingredients such as soybean, corn, and mineral-vitamin complexes, which weaken the national poultry sector
This study aimed to evaluate the effects of supplementation of A. herba-alba or olive leaf (O. europaea) powder on growth performance, carcass yield, and serum biochemical parameters in broilers in a private farm located in Chemini, Bejaia, Algeria
The results of the analysis indicated that crude protein (CP), crude fiber (CF), and crude ash (CA) contents were higher in Artemisia compared with olive leaves
Summary
Intensive poultry production in Algeria depends on exotic chicken strains and on imported feed ingredients such as soybean, corn, and mineral-vitamin complexes, which weaken the national poultry sector. The international price fluctuations of these feed ingredients destabilize the national markets and favor informal activities that are less controlled by public authorities. This increases the use of uncontrolled veterinary drugs (antibiotics, anticoccidials, and vaccines) for preventive purposes or as growth factors. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated
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