Article ID: 0140061
In the present study, the effect of dietary supplementation of mixed fermented medicinal plants (FMP) on growth performance in broilers and whether FMP have potential to serve as antibiotic growth promoter (AGP) alternatives was investigated. A total of 765 1-d-old male broiler chicks (ROSS strain) were used in a 5 wk feeding experiment and randomly divided into 5 groups with 9 replicates of 17 birds each. The treatments were NC (negative control, basal diet), PC (positive control, basal diet with 5 ppm enramycin), FMP 0.05 (basal diet with FMP 0.05%), FMP 0.1 (basal diet with FMP 0.1%), and FMP 0.2 (basal diet with FMP 0.2%). Both body weight gain and feed conversion ratios were improved, as compared with NC or in response to FMP supplementation, respectively. Additionally, dry matter and nitrogen retention, metabolizable energy, and excreta noxious gas emission of ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, and total mercaptans were improved as compared with NC or in response to FMP supplementation, demonstrating a positive correlation. The amount of intestinal microflora was improved (increased Lactobacillus spp counts and reduced E.coli counts) as compared with NC, PC, and a dose response increase of FMP supplementation, in both the small and large intestines. Taken all together, our results suggest and support the viable possibility that FMPs supplementation can be used as an effective alternative to AGPs for improving the performance of broilers.
