Effect of some herbal extracts on growth performance and liver enzymes in broilers

Abstract

Objective: After the ban in 2006 of the use of antibiotic growth promoters, the search for an alternative led to the utilization of plants like Moringa oleifera Lam. The present study was carried out to determine the effect of Moringa and Echinacea supplementation on drinking water on growth performance and liver function. Methods: One hundred and fifty one-day-old chicks (Cobb strain) were randomly allotted to three experimental groups G1 (basic diet, control group), G2 (basic diet + watering of Echinacea herbal extract), and G3 (basic diet + watering of Moringa herbal extract). The liver function test was performed through the detection of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels in plasma. Results: The herbal mixture groups (G2 and G3) significantly (P<0.05) improved the growth performance while no significant difference in serum levels of liver function enzymes AST and ALT as compared to the control group. Conclusion: With these results, we could conclude that replacing antibiotic growth promoters with herbal supplements is safe and improve the growth performance of broilers.