Performance of Broiler Chickens on Feed Supplemented with Prebiotic Herbs—Origanum Vulgare and Zingiber Officinale

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of feed supplementation with two prebiotic herbs—Origanum vulgare and Zingiber officinale—on growth performance of broiler chickens. The feed conversion ratio was determined weekly by dividing feed intake by body weight gain. A total of 400 one-day-old broiler chicks were divided into four treatment groups of four replicates of 25 chickens each using a complete design random. The four treatment groups were T0 (control), T1 (0.5% oregano), T2 (0.5% ginger), T3 (0.25% oregano + 0.25% ginger). The chicks were grown to 42 days of age. Weight gain, feed intake, conversion, carcass quality and mortality were determined weekly. Data analysis revealed that during the first 35 days of broiler chicken’s life, none of the dietary interventions had any effect on productive parameters (P > 0.05). However, during the last week of treatment, the oregano and ginger supplementation had a positive effect on weight gain and feed conversion (P < 0.05) than in the control group. In conclusion, the addition of oregano and ginger in the daily food ratio for broiler chickens during the last stage of the productive cycle improved the productive parameters, and carcass characteristics.