E-ISSN 2223-0343

The Effect of chamomile flower (Matricaria chamomilla L.) extract and powder as growth promoter on growth performance and digestive organs of broiler chickens

Roya Dada, Majid Toghyani* and Sayed Ali Tabeidian

Department of Animal Science, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran

 
Abstract

The experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of chamomile flower (Matricaria chamomilla L.) in the extract and powder form in comparison to antibiotic growth promoter on growth performance of broiler chickens. In this experiment, 420-day-old broiler chickens (Ross 308) were assigned to 6 treatments and 5 replicates of 14 chickens. Dietary treatments included: control, flavopho-spholipol (as a growth promoter), 2 and 4 g/kg chamomile flower powder and 1.8 and 3.6 ml/l chamomile flower extract in water. Chickens were fed by dietary treatments from day 1 to 42 d. The performance parameters (feed intake, body weight gain and feed conversion ratio) were measured in different periods and overall growth period. Carcass traits (carcass yield and abdominal fat) and digestive organs (proventriculus, gizzard, pancreas, duodenum, jejunum, ileum and ceca) were measured at 42 day of age. In summary, these results showed that chamomile extract and powder had no significant effect on growth performance parameters. Feeding diets supplemented with chamomile extract and powder significantly influenced digestive organs such as proventriculus and pancreas relative weights and also the length of duodenum, ileum and ceca (P<0.05). Carcass traits were not affected significantly by dietary treatments (P>0.05). In conclusion, chamomile extract and powder at the used levels in this study have not potential to be used as a growth promoter in broiler chicks.

Keywords: Broiler chick; Chamomile; antibiotic; performance; digestive organ
 
To cite this article: Dada R, M Toghyani and SA Tabeidian, 2015. The Effect of chamomile flower (Matricaria chamomilla L.) extract and powder as growth promoter on growth performance and digestive organs of broiler chickens. Res. Opin. Anim. Vet. Sci., 5(7): 290-294.
 

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