The Effect of Supplementing the Diet with Purple Garlic (Allium sativum) on Productivity Variables and Intestinal Morphometry in Broilers

Abstract

Background: Garlic is considered a natural growth promoter in animals, but the effects on the productive performance of broilers are variable. Therefore, the impact on growth performance and intestinal morphometry were evaluated to know the impact of using different levels of purple garlic in the broilers' diet. Methods: Clinically healthy 1-day-old Cobb Vantress 500 broilers (n=98, with an equal number of two sex) were randomized into four dietary treatment groups. The birds of the T0 group were fed with a conventional diet, while the T1, T2 and T3 groups were fed with diets supplemented with 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3% of purple garlic. Result: The body weight gain (BWG) of the fattening female birds did not differ significantly (P less than 0.05) compared to the control. The BWG and the total benefit at T2 and T3 were considerably higher in males at 40 days. The duodenum showed that the values of the mean height of the villi were significantly (P less than 0.05) lower in T1 and T2 than in the other treatments. Purple garlic has a significant effect as a growth promoter in male broilers, supplemented at a higher rate of supplementation, i.e., 0.2 and 0.3% levels.