Perspective, Opportunities and Challenges in Using Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) in Poultry Health and Production as an Eco-Friendly Alternative to Antibiotics: A Review

Abstract

Following the European Union’s restriction on antibiotic growth promoters, research on enhancing gut health has been accelerated. As the poultry industry is facing issues that were previously managed by antimicrobial growth promoters, the hunt for the best remedies continues to find suitable alternatives. Simultaneously, social pressure is mounting to reduce the usage of antibiotics and replace them with other feed additives. Consumers believe a number of accessible options to be safe, with phytogenics playing a crucial role. This review describes how the use of fennel seeds could be beneficial for poultry. An overview of the broad chemical diversity of fennel is presented together with their physicochemical and biological properties. According to investigations, fennel seeds have a variety of biological effects in birds, including improved performance, higher immune cell proliferation, reduced oxidative stress, and boosted antibody titers against infectious diseases. The efficacy of poultry outcomes is determined by the stage and age of the plants, the extraction process, the geographical location, the chicken species, management techniques, and the concentrations administered. The present review focuses on the effects of fennel seeds as a feed additive on poultry growth, carcass quality, blood biochemistry, antioxidant activity, immunity, and microbiological aspects.

Effect of Dietary Supplementation of Fennel Seeds (Foeniculum Vulgare) on Improving Egg Quality in Laying Hens

“…While the current results not agreement with (14 and 31), who reported were no significant differences in percentage of yolk weight when adding Fennel seeds or extracts to laying hens' diets. The reason for the decrease in weight of yolk can be attributed to the fact that it is known that the yolk is the most part of the egg that contains fat, and since the increase in the amount of Fennel in the diet negatively affects the amount of fat in the egg, especially the yolk, so the percentage of yolk weight will decrease with a decrease in the percentage of fat in the yolk, this is what was shown by the results of the chemical analysis of egg yolk in Table 4, which indicates a decrease in the percentage of fat in the yolk with an increase in the percentage of Fennel seeds powder (15). Yolk Weight: Table 5 showed the effect of adding different percentages of Fennel seeds powder to laying hens' diets on weight of yolk, as the results were significant (P≤0.05) differences in weight of yolk between the different treatments, it was observed that there was a significant decrease in weight of yolk in favor of treatment T6, as the weight of the yolk was 14.7 g, which did not differ significantly with treatment T5 15.3 g when compared with the rest of the experiment treatments.…”

Effects of Phytogenic Feed Additives on Body Weight Gain and Gut Bacterial Load in Broiler Chickens

“…Phytogenic feed additives considerably impact the gut environment, either directly or indirectly (Khan et al, 2022). In this study, the effect of the studied phytogenic herbs was found to be very effective in improving the performances of broiler chickens and exhibiting antimicrobial activities.…”

Antimicrobial Resistance and Treatment in Companion, Food and Exotic Animals

“…Furthermore, following the European Union’s restriction on antibiotic growth promoters, research on enhancing gut health has been accelerated [ 6 ]. With the poultry industry facing issues previously controlled by antimicrobial growth promoters, the search for suitable alternatives has continued.…”

“…With the poultry industry facing issues previously controlled by antimicrobial growth promoters, the search for suitable alternatives has continued. In their next review, Khan et al [ 6 ] describe how the use of fennel seeds ( Foeniculum vulgare ) could be beneficial for poultry. The physicochemical and biological properties of F. vulgare are discussed, as well as the diverse chemical composition of the plant.…”

“…The physicochemical and biological properties of F. vulgare are discussed, as well as the diverse chemical composition of the plant. According to Khan et al [ 6 ], F. vulgare seeds have various biological effects in poultry, such as improved performance, higher immune cell proliferation, reduced oxidative stress, and boosted antibody titers against infectious diseases. The published review in this SI focuses on the effects of F. vulgare seeds as a feed additive in poultry production as a natural alternative to antibiotics.…”