Maintaining intestinal microflora balance in heat-stressed broilers using dietary creeping wood sorrel (Oxalis corniculata) powder and chromium (chromium picolinate)

Mihaela Saracila,Cristina Tabuc,Cristina Soica,Iulia Varzaru,Arabela Untea,Aneta Wojdyło,Tatiana D Panaite,Rodica D Criste

doi:10.5424/sjar/2020183-16146

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the effect of dietary creeping wood sorrel powder (Oxalis corniculata) and chromium supplemented to broilers (1-42 days) exposed to heat stress, on their performance and on the intestinal and caecal microbiota.Area of study: Ilfov, RomaniaMaterial and methods: The feeding trial was conducted on 60, day-old Cobb 500 broilers, divided equally in two groups, each group with six replicates (5 chicks/ replicate). The broilers were housed in an experimental hall at 32° C constant temperature and 23h light regimen. Unlike the dietary control diet (C), the experimental diet (E) was supplemented with 1% creeping wood sorrel powder and 20 mg chromium picolinate/ kg premix. One bird from each replication was slaughtered on days 28 and 42, and samples of caecal and intestinal content were collected for bacteriological analysis.Main results: The dietary creeping wood sorrel powder and chromium supplements for heat-stressed broilers had no significant influence on their growth performance (1-42 d). Overall, E diet had a beneficial effect on the balance of the caecal microflora; however, in the intestine, E diet had a positive influence on the balance of the intestinal microflora, only for the samples collected at 28 days.Research highlights: Dietary creeping wood sorrel powder and chromium supplements can be an efficient tool for maintaining a proper balance of intestinal microflora in heat-stressed broilers.

Highlights

Heat stress is one of the factors that affect significantly overall animal physiology, health, and productivity
During the period of heat stress, lower circulating levels of vitamins and minerals have been determined in broilers, which can be associated to lower feed intake and high water intake
Beneficial effects are generated by supplemental vitamins and minerals given to broilers reared under heat stress (Khan et al, 2012), which reduce the reactions of cell oxidation

Summary

Introduction

Heat stress is one of the factors that affect significantly overall animal physiology, health, and productivity. In heat stressed-broilers, chromium supplements are part of a nutritional strategy to improve growth performance (Ghazi et al, 2012), nutrient metabolism (Huang et al, 2016), the immune response (Oba et al, 2012), the antioxidant function and the response to stress measured as stress hormones level (Khan et al, 2014) It might be highly useful for researchers in the poultry sector and in the pharmaceutical industry to widen their knowledge in promoting plants, like creeping wood sorrel, and minerals like Cr, and its antioxidant combination usage. We conducted a feeding trial to determine the effects of the dietary creeping wood sorrel (O. corniculata) and chromium (as chromium picolinate) on broilers reared under heat stress (32 °C) to maintain a proper balance of the intestinal microbiota

Material and methods

Results

Discussion