Effect of dietary supplementation with Ethiopian pepper (Xylopia aethiopica), cloves (Syzygium aromaticum), and their composite on growth performance, serum parameters, and haematological indices of broiler chickens

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of dietary Ethiopian pepper (Xylopia aethiopica) and clove (Syzygium aromaticum) supplementation on the growth performance, serum parameters, and haematological indices of broiler chickens. A total of 360 unsexed Ross broilers were used for the study. Four experimental diets were formulated for the starter (0–28 days) and finisher phases (29–56 days). Diet 1 was the control, without phytogenic supplementation, Diet 2 was supplemented with 1% Ethiopian pepper (EP), Diet 3 was supplemented with 1% clove (CL), and Diet 4 was supplemented with 1% mixture of Ethiopian pepper and clove (EPCL) in equal quantities (0.5% each) (EPCL). Each treatment was replicated 6 times, with 15 birds per replicate. Growth response was measured weekly for the starter and finisher phases, and blood was collected for serum and haematological parameters after 4 and 8 weeks. Data were subjected to one-way analysis of variance using SAS 2000, and significant means were separated using Tukey’s test in same software. At day 28, dietary supplementation with EPCL increased (P < 0.05) live weight (LW) (660.34 g) and weight gain (WG) (599.66 g) and improved the feed conversion ratio (FCR) (0.98). Total protein (TP) (48.00 g/L) and albumin (28.30 g/L) were higher (P<0.05) for broilers fed a diet supplemented with EPCL compared to the other treatments. Packed cell volume (PCV) (30.00%) was higher (P < 0.05) in broilers fed a diet with EPCL. Supplementation with CL and EPCL increased (P < 0.05) the red blood cell (RBC) count in broilers. Broilers fed a diet supplemented with EP had lower (P < 0.05) mean corpuscular volume (MCV) (97.77 fl), while those fed the control diet had higher (P < 0.05) mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) (39.45 pg). Broilers fed the control diet had the highest (P < 0.05) mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) (37.90%), while those fed diets supplemented with CL (33.29%) and EPCL (34.00%) had the lowest (P < 0.05) MCHC. At day 56, LW and WG were also increased (P < 0.05) by supplementation. Reduced (P < 0.05) cholesterol was observed for broilers fed a diet supplemented with EPCL. Haemoglobin (Hb) and RBC were higher (P < 0.05) in broilers fed a diet supplemented with EPCL. Supplementation with EP, CL and EPCL resulted in higher (P < 0.05) MCV and MCH. It was concluded that EPCL can be used to supplement the diet of broilers for increased performance and improved blood parameters.