Effect of Water Supplementation with Herbal Extracts on Broiler Chicken Welfare / Wpływ Dodatku Do Wody Ekstraktów Ziołowych Na Dobrostan Kurcząt Brojlerów

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of adding extracts from selected herbs to water on alleviation of broiler stress associated with intensive production, and thus on improvement of welfare. In experimental groups (II, III and IV), alcoholic extracts from chamomile inflorescence (Matricaria chamomilla L.), lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.) or from St John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum L.), respectively, were added to water drinkers (2 ml ∙ l-1 water) from 21 to 35 days of rearing for 5 h/day. Throughout the experiment, body weight, feed and water intake and number of dead birds were recorded once a week. At 21, 28, 35 and 42 days of rearing, blood was collected from 7 birds in each group to determine the levels of corticosterone, cholesterol, glucose, and the immunoglobulin complex. The response of birds to the herbal additives was positive. The herb extracts contributed to a decrease in cholesterol level and an increase in the level of the immunoglobulin complex in the blood. Supplementation of water with chamomile and St John’s wort extracts contributed to an increase in body weight, while the extracts from lemon balm and St John’s wort also had a positive effect on broiler survival. The results obtained indicate that out of the three herbs chosen for the experiment, St John’s wort extract proved the most efficient in relieving the body’s physiological response to stress, and thus in improving welfare.

Effect of Solid-State Fermented Wheat Bran Supplemented with Agrimony Extract on Growth Performance, Fatty Acid Profile, and Meat Quality of Broiler Chickens

“…The addition of agrimony extract to poultry nutrition can protect fatty acids in meat against oxidation. It is possible to provide the extract through a water source with high efficiency [71]. A significantly higher increase in MDA concentration was observed in the meat of the experimental group due to a higher amount of PUFA in those muscles.…”

Physico-chemical attributes, sensory evaluation and oxidative stability of leg meat from broilers supplemented with plant extracts

“…A way of enhancing the efficacy of plant extracts may be the water supplementation, which ensures uniform mixing into water, uniform intake by birds and to avoid wastage [10]. Skomorucha and Sosnówka-czajka [11] also reported that the response of broilers to the water supplementation with certain herbs was positive in terms of growth performance, physiological response to stress and welfare. Therefore, this study was conducted to meet consumer preference for safe, hygienic, less prone to oxidative processes and antibiotic-free poultry meat.…”

Chamomile: functional properties and impacts on poultry/small ruminant health and production – A Review

“…Rabbits were given BD + 0.5 ml g/kg. Compared to the other groups, chamomile oil consumed the most feed during the entire duration (Skomorucha and Sosnówka-Czajka, 2013). Likewise, Simonová et al (2007) discovered that chamomile oil is a viable substitute for stopping and managing bacterial and parasite illnesses and enhancing rabbits' overall health.…”