Growth Performance and Serum Biochemical Profile of Broiler Chickens Fed on Diets Supplemented with Afrostyrax lepidophyllus Fruit and Bark as Alternative to Antibiotic Growth Promoters - Abstract
Background: Due to its side effects, antibiotic feed additives have become a real public health concern and trigger an explosion of interest in the use of alternatives such as plants products as supplements in animal rations. This study was designed to assess the effects of Afrostyrax lepidophyllus fruit and bark powder on growth performances and serological parameters of broiler chickens.
Methods: A total of 240 day-old Cobb 500 strain chicks were randomly assigned to five experimental diets formulated from a negative control ration (R0-) by adding 1g antibiotic (Doxycycline®) which served as a positive control (R0+), 2g of powder from the fruit (F), 2g of the bark powder (B) and 2g of the mixture (1/1) of fruit and bark (FB) of Afrostyrax lepidophyllus in a kg of basal diet.
Results: During growing-finishing phase (22-49 days) and throughout the study period (1-49 days), feed intake (FI), and live body weight (LBW) and body weight gain (BWG) were significantly higher with A. lepidophyllus bark powder as compared to the negative control diet. Irrespective to the study phase, A. lepidophyllus bark’s powder and antibiotic induced the highest FI and the highest BWG, while the lowest BWG was recorded the A. lepidophyllus fruit-bark mixture. Gain/food ratio and abdominal fat deposit did not vary with the inclusion of A. lepidophyllus fruit, back and their mixture in the ration. The lowest cost of production was recorded with the ration supplemented with Afrostyrax lepidophyllus bark powder.
Conclusions: The study clearly showed that 2g/kg Afrostyrax lepidophyllus’s bark can replace antibiotics in the ration to promote growth performances and reduce the cost of production of broiler chickens in the finisher phase.