Supplementation of Amla (Emblica officinalis) Fruit Powder Modulate Growth and Reduce Heat Stress in Broiler Chickens

Abstract

Heat stress is a significant environmental challenge that impairs broiler production, negatively impacting growth, feed intake, nutrient absorption, and gut ecology. Various methods exist to mitigate heat stress such as genetic and nutritional approaches, air conditioning, ventilation, and antibiotic growth promoters but they are often expensive and not always adequate. Keeping this view in mind, research has been focused on medicinal herbs which are available, cheap and safer to use. Amla fruit possesses antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-stress properties that could mitigate heat stress’s harmful effects on broilers. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the impact of amla fruit powder on growth performance, gut microbiota and blood lipid profile of broilers under ambient temperature and heat stressed condition. A total of 126 broiler chicks were divided into two major groups, one group kept under ambient temperature and another group exposed to heat stress. Each major group was split into 3 subgroups with 3 replications having 7 chicks per replication. In case of each major groups, first sub groups were kept as a control and latter two groups were supplemented with 0.5% and 1.0% amla fruit powder, respectively. Total duration of the experiment was 35 days, where treatments were given with basal diet from 12 days. All the experiment birds were maintained with the similar management except the experimental diets. The results showed that body weight and body weight gain at the end of the experiment were higher in amla treated group than in the control group at both temperatures. Supplementation of amla fruit powder also improved feed conversion ratio (FCR) and dressing percentage than the control groups. Additionally, amla powder reduced TC, TAG and LDL levels and slightly increased HDL content. Amla fruit powder decreased pathogenic bacterial population such as Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. concentration in the gut and increased probiotic bacterial concentration such as Lactobacillus spp. under both rearing temperatures. Taken together, it can be concluded that, amla fruit powder could be used as an alternative tool to improve broiler performance and mitigate the deleterious effects of heat stress on broiler chickens.