Comparative effects of herbal additive, symbiotic and antibiotic on growth performance, blood constituents, gut microbiota, and immune response in broiler chickens.

Background: Using medicinal plants in broiler diets has been gaining attention as an alternative to synthetic additives due to their potential health benefits and lower risk of residue accumulation.

Aims: The present study primarily aimed to evaluate and compare the effects of herbal additives, specifically barberry (Berberis vulgaris), sumac (Rhus coriaria, L), symbiotic, and antibiotic on broiler chickens.

Methods: A total of 384 one-day-old broiler chicks (Ross 308) were assigned to eight different dietary treatments, with six replicates per treatment. Experimental diets included control diet (CON), and other experimental groups were supplemented with 0.2 g/kg virginiamycin (VM), symbiotic (SS), 1 g/kg (B₁) and 2 g/kg (B₂) barberry seed powder, 1 g/kg (S₁) and 2 g/kg (S₂) sumac seed powder and 1 g/kg sumac seed powder + 1 g/kg barberry seed powder (B₁ + S₁).

Results: The study results indicated that body weight increased in birds fed with VM and SS-supplemented diets (P<0.05) during 1 to 42 days of age. All dietary treatments except CON increased the count of Lactobacillus spp. and decreased the number of coliforms versus at the end of the experiment (P<0.05). Antibody titers against Gambaro disease were higher in birds fed diets B2 and B1 + S1 (P<0.05). The results also indicated that the heterophil to lymphocyte ratio was significantly lower in the SS and B1 + S1 groups as compared with the control group.

Conclusion: A mix of sumac and barberry (1%) powdered seeds has the potential to improve performance, and disease responsiveness and intestinal microbiota in broiler.