Eucalyptus leaves powder, antibiotic and probiotic addition to broiler diets: effect on growth performance, immune response, blood components and carcass traits

Abstract

The study was conducted to investigate the effects of different levels of eucalyptus powder (EP), virginiamycin and probiotic on performance, immunity, blood components and carcass traits of broiler chickens. A total of 250, 1-day-old male broiler chickens (Ross 308) were randomly allocated to five treatments with five replicates and 10 chicks each, as a completely randomized design. The dietary treatments consisted of: basal diet (BD), BD+0.25% EP, BD+0.5% EP, BD+0.01% of diet probiotic (Protexin), BD+0.02% of diet antibiotic (virginiamycin). Dietary supplementation did not affect feed intake, BW gain (BWG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) during starter and grower phases, but BWG and FCR were affected during the finisher and whole periods ( P <0.05).The highest BWG and lowest FCR were obtained in birds fed with virginiamycin and 0.5% EP. Dietary supplementation significantly increased the relative weight of carcass and breast ( P <0.05). Treatments had no effect on relative weights of internal organs and small intestine except for bursa that increased by treatments. Relative length of jejunum also increased by treatments ( P <0.05). Antibody production against sheep red blood cells did not changed in primary titer (day 35), but it significantly increased in secondary titer (day 42) by 0.5% EP. White blood cell counts were increased and cholesterol decreased by dietary supplementation ( P <0.05). In conclusion, the results of this study showed that 0.5% EP served as a useful replacement for antibiotic and would improve performance and immune response of broiler chickens.

Full text

Eucalyptus leaves powder, antibiotic and probiotic addition to
broiler diets: effect on growth performance, immune response,
blood components and carcass traits
H. Mashayekhi, M. Mazhari
†
and O. Esmaeilipour
Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Jiroft, PO Box 7867161167, Jiroft, Iran
(Received 30 July 2017; Accepted 13 December 2017; First published online 18 January 2018)
The study was conducted to investigate the effects of different levels of eucalyptus powder (EP), virginiamycin and probiotic on
performance, immunity, blood components and carcass traits of broiler chickens. A total of 250, 1-day-old male broiler chickens
(Ross 308) were randomly allocated to five treatments with five replicates and 10 chicks each, as a completely randomized design.
The dietary treatments consisted of: basal diet (BD), BD +0.25% EP, BD +0.5% EP, BD +0.01% of diet probiotic (Protexin),
BD +0.02% of diet antibiotic (virginiamycin). Dietary supplementation did not affect feed intake, BW gain (BWG) and feed
conversion ratio (FCR) during starter and grower phases, but BWG and FCR were affected during the finisher and whole periods
(
P
<0.05).The highest BWG and lowest FCR were obtained in birds fed with virginiamycin and 0.5% EP. Dietary supplementation
significantly increased the relative weight of carcass and breast (
P
<0.05). Treatments had no effect on relative weights of internal
organs and small intestine except for bursa that increased by treatments. Relative length of jejunum also increased by treatments
(
P
<0.05). Antibody production against sheep red blood cells did not changed in primary titer (day 35), but it significantly
increased in secondary titer (day 42) by 0.5% EP. White blood cell counts were increased and cholesterol decreased by dietary
supplementation (
P
<0.05). In conclusion, the results of this study showed that 0.5% EP served as a useful replacement for
antibiotic and would improve performance and immune response of broiler chickens.
Keywords: antibiotic, broiler, eucalyptus, immunity, probiotic
Implications
As antibiotic growth promoter’s prohibition in poultry
industry by European Union, poultry producers are trying
to replace them by other growth promoters like medicinal
herbs.
Eucalyptus
is a medicinal herb enriched by a lot of
powerful phenolic compounds and with antioxidant and
antimicrobial properties which led to enhancing appétit
and improving health and growth performance of broiler. The
results of this study showed that 0.5% eucalyptus powder
(EP) served as a useful replacement for antibiotic and would
improve performance and immune response of broiler
chickens and may be useful for all poultry producers around
the world.
Introduction
Antibiotic growth promoters (AGP) have been used to reduce
the spread of diseases and as growth promoter to enhance
animal performance. However, many countries and animal
farms have been restricted to use AGP, because of their
residual effects on poultry products and harmful effects on
human health. Consequently, nutritionists and production
managers have to find alternatives that have potential to
alleviate the problems related to AGP (Lillehoj and Lee,
2012). As a general category, probiotics tend to refer to
bacterial cultures capable of stimulating intestinal micro-
flora, which in turn are capable of modifying the gastro-
intestinal environment in a positive manner, benefitting
beneficial bacteria and improving the growth performance
and feed efficiency of broilers (Jeong and Kim, 2014).
Improvements in growth performance and feed efficiency
have been reported in broiler chickens after feeding of pro-
biotics (Cao
et al
., 2013; Song
et al
., 2014). People have used
plants since earliest times and even today we continue to
depend on exotic species for many of our newest medicines
and chemicals. Recently, many countries tended to minimize
or prohibit the chemical components for their deleterious
side effects on both animals and human. So, it is important to
use natural promoters. Medicinal herbs have a stimulating
effect on growth of broilers. In addition, some plants were
†
E-mail: mozhgan.mazhari@gmail.com
Animal
(2018), 12:10, pp 2049–2055 © The Animal Consortium 2018
doi:10.1017/S1751731117003731
animal
2049

found to have natural effects, for example, stimulant, tonics,
antiparasitic, antibacterial, antifungal, antimicrobial and
antiseptic (Burt, 2004). In this respect, vegetable, herbs and
plants were suggested as feed additive or growth promoters
in broiler diets to improve the growth feed conversion
efficiency and reduce the cost of feed (Hashemi and Davoodi,
2012). Many researchers observed an improvement in BW
gain (BWG), mortality rate and feed conversion of broilers by
using herbal plants (Hernandez
et al
., 2004; Cross
et al
.,
2007). Eucalyptus (family, Myrtaceae) is one of the world’s
most widely planted (Sallam
et al
., 2007). The leaves of
E. globulu
s contains up to 3.5% w/w essential oil. The
principal constituent found in Eucalyptus is eucalyptol
(1, 8-cineole). However, other chemical components such
as
α
-phellandrene,
ρ
-cymene,
γ
-terpinene, ethanone,
spathulenol, have been documented (Akin
et al
., 2010).
Essential oils are natural products composed mainly of
terpens and terpene-derivatives in addition to some other
non-terpene components (Edris, 2007). Oil of eucalyptus
globules has antibacterial activities against some
microorganisms including salmonella type, Klebsiella
spp, streptococcus A, proteus sp, and
Staphylococcus
aureus
(Sallam
et al
., 2007). Therefore, this experiment was
designed to compare the effect of inclusion of eucalyptus leaf
powder, antibiotic and probiotic on performance, immune
response, blood components and carcass characteristics of
broiler chicks.
Material and methods
Birds, housing and feeding
This study was approved by the Animal Ethics Committees
of the Department of Animal Science of University of Jiroft
(2812-94). A total of 250 one-day-old-male chicks (Ross 308)
were obtained from a commercial hatchery (Mahan Hatchery,
Kerman, Iran) and divided into 25 floor pens (1 ×1.5 m) of 10
birds each. The study was undertaken at the Animal Farm
of University of Jiroft. Chickens were vaccinated against
Marek’s Disease at the hatchery, against Newcastle Disease
and Infectious Bronchitis viruses at 7 days, against Gumboro
Disease at 14 days, against Newcastle disease (B1 type,
LaSota strain) at 18 days, and against Gumboro Disease
(Reminder) at 24 days of age. Broiler chickens were kept at
33°C during the first 3 days of age. Thereafter, temperature
was decreased by 3°C per week to reach 24°C at 21 days of
age. After that, they were maintained at ~24°C until the
end of experiment. Light was provided 23 h per day with 1 h
of darkness.
The experimental treatments were consisted of: basal
diet (BD), BD +0.25% EP, BD +05% EP, BD +probiotic
(Protexin, Probiotics International Ltd, Lopen Head, Somerset,
UK), BD +antibiotic (virginiamycin, Belgium). Antibiotic and
probiotic were used according to the company recommen-
dation (antibiotic 0.02% of diet and probiotic 0.01% of diet).
Eucalyptus leaves were collected from eucalyptus trees of
university farm (University of Jiroft, Jiroft, Iran), rinsed and
dried in room temperature and mashed with hands then
mixed with diet of each pen daily. Each diet was randomly fed
to four groups of chicks. Diets were formulated to meet the
nutrient requirements according to Ross 308 rearing guideline
(Aviagen 2014). Antibiotic, probiotic and EP were added
to diets after diet formulation as extra supplements. Mash
feed and water were provided
ad libitum
throughout the
experiment. The ingredients and chemical composition of the
BDs are shown in Table 1.
Growth performance
Body weight gain and feed intake (FI) per pen were mea-
sured. Initial BWs (day 1) were subtracted from the final BW
to get BWG. Feed consumption was calculated by subtracting
residual feed from the offered feed. Data for feed consump-
tion and BWG were used to calculate the FCR. The FCR was
adjusted for mortality and calculated on a pen basis. Growth
performance data were determined between day 1 and 42.
Biochemical parameters
After 4 h starvation, two birds per replicate were randomly
selected and 2 ml of blood samples were collected from
the wing vein by a syringe on day 42. Blood samples were
collected in labeled sterile test tubes and centrifuged at
3000 ×gfor 10 min at 4°C to isolate serum. The levels of
serum triglyceride (mg/dl), total cholesterol (mg/dl), high-
density lipoprotein (HDL, mg/dl), low-density lipoprotein
(LDL, mg/dl), and glucose (mg/dl) were measured by an
autoanalyzer (HITACHI 912, Hitachi, Tokyo, Japan).
Table 1
Composition of starter, grower, and finisher diets of broilers
Ingredient (%)
Starter
(1 to 10 days)
Grower
(11 to 24)
Finisher
(25 to 42)
Corn 50.91 54.27 57.66
Soybean meal 41.52 37.57 33.52
Vegetable oil 3.40 4.31 5.22
Limestone 1.42 1.32 1.24
DCP 1.38 1.22 1.09
Vitamin mix
1
0.25 0.25 0.25
Mineral mix
2
0.25 0.25 0.25
Salt (NaCl) 0.31 0.31 0.29
L-Lysine 0.19 0.18 0.18
DL-Methionine 0.37 0.32 0.31
Calculated nutrients
ME (kcal/kg) 3000 3100 3200
CP (%) 23 21.5 20
Lysine (%) 1.40 1.29 1.19
Methionine +cystine (%) 1.08 0.99 0.94
Threonine (%) 0.99 0.93 0.86
Calcium (%) 0.96 0.88 0.81
Available phosphorus (%) 0.48 0.44 0.405
1
Vitamin mix provided per kilogram of diet: vitamin A (
trans
-retinyl acetate),
9000 IU; vitamin D
3
(cholecalciferol), 215 IU; vitamin E (DL-
α
-tocopheryl acetate),
18 IU; vitamin K (menadione), 2 mg; thiamine, 18 mg; riboflavin, 6.6 mg; pyr-
idoxine, 3 mg; vitamin B
12
(cyanocobalamin), 0.015 mg; niacin, 10 mg; pan-
tothenic acid (D-calcium pantothenate), 4.8 mg; folic acid, 1 mg; biotin, 0.15mg;
choline chloride, 500 mg; ethoxyquin (antioxidant), 1mg.
2
Mineral mix provided per kilogram of diet: Fe, 50 mg; Mn, 100 mg; Zn, 7.84 mg;
Cu, 10 mg; I, 1 mg; Se, 0.2 mg.
Mashayekhi, Mazhari and Esmaeilipour
2050

Immunological measurements
For assessment of antibody titers against sheep red blood
cells (SRBC), two birds per replicate were selected and were
intramuscularly injected with 0.5 ml/chick SRBC; 9% sus-
pension in PBS at day 28 and 35, SRBC were used as an
antigen to quantify the antibody response. Blood samples
were collected at 7 and 14 days after the injection. The serum
from each sample was collected, heat inactivated at 56°C for
30 min and then analyzed for anti-SRBC antibodies as
described by Cheema
et al
. (2003). The SRBCs used for
inoculation and antibody titration were obtained from the
same donor sheep. Also at 42 days of age, two SRBC injected
birds per replicate were selected and 0.5 ml of blood samples
was collected in heparin containing tubes to avoid blood clot
formation for hematological analysis. The white blood cells
(WBC) and red blood cells counts were determined by an
improved Neubauer hemocytometer method (Jain, 1986).
The hematocrit and hemoglobin values were measured by
microhematocrit and colorimetric cyanomethemoglobin
methods, respectively (Baker and Silverton, 1985).
Carcass traits
At the end of the experiment, two birds per replicate whose
BW were closest to the mean weight of the pen were killed
by cervical dislocation, and after removing feathers and feet
(whole carcass with visceral) subsequently considered to
assess the relative weight of whole carcass and carcass cuts
(g/g of live BW).
Statistical analysis
As the pen represented the experimental unit, the effects
of additives were statistically analyzed using a completely
randomized design by SAS (2001). Results are presented
as treatment means and SEM. Significance of differences
between mean values was estimated by means of
single-factor ANOVA assuming significance levels of 0.05
and 0.01.
Results
Effect of supplemental EP, antibiotic and probiotic on
performance characteristics (FI, BWG and FCR) of broiler
chickens is presented in Table 2. The results showed that the
effect of treatments on performance characteristics was not
significant in the starter and grower period. Effect of treat-
ments on BWG and FCR was significant in finisher and whole
periods (
P
<0.05) as the highest BWG and the lowest FCR
was seen for broiler chickens fed with antibiotic and 0.5% EP.
Carcass and breast relative weight increased significantly
(
P
<0.05) by experimental treatments (Table 3). The highest
carcass and breast weight was seen for broilers fed by anti-
biotic and 0.5% eucalyptus. The relative weights of internal
organs including liver and spleen were not affected by
treatments while bursa of fabricious relative weight
increased (Table 3). Also Treatments had no significant effect
on relative weight of duodenum, jejunum and ileum of
broilers (Table 4), but relative length of jejunum significantly
increased by antibiotic and probiotic supplementation
(
P
<0.05).
Effects of supplemental treatments on blood cells and
antibody production (SRBC test) are presented in Table 5.
The results showed that WBC increased significantly
(
P
<0.05) by treatments. Effect of treatments on antibody
production against SRBC was not significant at 35 days of
Table 2
Effect of eucalyptus powder (EP), antibiotic (Ant) and probiotic (Pro) on performance traits of broilers at different
periods
Treatments
Parameters BD
1
BD +Ant
1
BD +Pro
1
BD +0.25%EP
1
BD +0.5%EP
1
SEM
P
-Value
FI (g/b)
1 to 10 days 215.9 212.2 224.2 220.0 225.0 6.51 0.61
11 to 25 days 914.9 945.8 928.6 949.7 973.5 29.48 0.69
26 to 42 days 2090.1 2173.1 2107.9 2110.1 2131.7 23.86 0.19
Overall 3221.8 3331.1 3260.7 3279.8 3330.1 42.14 0.34
BWG (g/b)
0 to 10 days 155.4 156.7 164.4 163.1 165.0 4.13 0.35
11 to 25 days 530.7 585.1 515.8 532.2 570.6 27.97 0.39
26 to 42 days 1145.1
c
1274.6
a
1215.0
abc
1191.1
bc
1228.7
ab
16.43 0.0009
Overall 1831.2
a
2016.4
a
1895.3
ab
1886.4
ab
1964.3
a
31.71 0.008
FCR
0 to 10 days 1.39 1.35 1.37 1.35 1.36 0.03 0.94
11 to 25 days 1.73 1.62 1.80 1.78 1.71 0.05 0.13
26 to 42 days 1.83
a
1.71
b
1.74
b
1.77
ab
1.73
b
0.02 0.009
Overall 1.76
a
1.65
c
1.75
ab
1.73
ab
1.69
bc
0.01 0.0009
FI =feed intake; BWG =body weight gain; FCR =feed conversion ratio.
a,b
Values within a row with different superscripts differ significantly at
P
<0.05.
1
BD: basal diet, basal diet +antibiotic, basal diet +probiotic, basal diet +0.25% eucalyptus leaves powder, basal diet +0.5% eucalyptus
leaves powder.
Eucalyptus, antibiotic and probiotic in broiler ration
2051

age (primary titer). But it was increased significantly by
treatments on 42 days of age (secondary titer) and the
highest antibody production was seen for birds fed with
0.5% EP and probiotic treatment.
Effect of EP, antibiotic and probiotic on biochemical blood
metabolites of broiler chickens are presented in Table 6.
Blood glucose was decreased and the lowest blood glucose
was seen for broiler fed by 0.5% eucalyptus. Cholesterol,
Table 3
The effect of eucalyptus powder (EP), antibiotic (Ant) and probiotic (Pro) on carcass traits (relative weight: g/100 g of
live weight) of broilers at 42 days of age
Treatments
Parameters BD
1
BD +Ant
1
BD +Pro
1
BD +0.25%EP
1
BD +0.5%EP
1
SEM
P
-Value
Carcass 83.84
b
86.44
a
86.13
a
85.30
ab
86.18
a
0.36 0.0009
Breast 23.79
b
25.17
a
24.65
ab
24.90
ab
25.72
a
0.31 0.007
Thigh 20.15 20.72 20.19 20.53 20.94 0.51 0.81
Liver 2.42 2.72 2.33 2.44 2.39 0.24 0.81
Spleen 0.15 0.18 0.16 0.18 0.19 0.01 0.26
Bursa 0.07
b
0.10
a
0.11
a
0.11
a
0.11
a
0.004 0.0001
a,b
Values within a row with different superscripts differ significantly at
P
<0.05.
1
BD: basal diet, basal diet +antibiotic, basal diet +probiotic, basal diet +0.25% eucalyptus leaves powder, basal diet +0.5% eucalyptus
leaves powder.
Table 4
Effects of eucalyptus powder (EP), antibiotic (Ant) and probiotic (Pro) on relative weights (g/100 g of BW) and relative
lengths (cm/100 g of BW) of small intestine cuts of broilers
Treatments
Parameters BD
1
BD +Ant
1
BD +Pro
1
BD +0.25%EP
1
BD +0.5%EP
1
SEM
P
-Value
Relative weight
Deudenum 0.99 0.92 1.08 0.95 0.99 0.06 0.51
Jejunum 2.55 2.73 2.54 2.41 2.54 0.19 0.85
Ileum 2.13 2.38 2.47 2.32 2.20 0.19 0.74
Relative length
Deudenum 1.63 1.64 1.67 1.50 1.62 0.06 0.32
Jejunum 3.28
b
3.85
a
3.91
a
3.40
ab
3.60
ab
0.12 0.009
Ileum 3.59 3.97 3.76 3.52 3.58 0.18 0.40
a,b
Values within a row with different superscripts differ significantly at
P
<0.05.
1
BD: basal diet, basal diet +antibiotic, basal diet +probiotic, basal diet +0.25% eucalyptus leaves powder, basal diet +0.5% eucalyptus
leaves powder.
Table 5
Effect of eucalyptus powder (EP), antibiotic (Ant) and probiotic (Pro)on blood cells and first and second anti-sheep
red blood cells (SRBCs) immune response
Treatments
Parameters BD
1
BD +Ant
1
BD +Pro
1
BD +0.25%EP
1
BD +0.5%EP
1
SEM
P
-Value
Blood cells
WBC (×10
3
/µl) 21.56
b
22.75
ab
23.04
a
23.05
a
23.54
a
0.43 0.004
RBC (×10
6
/µl) 2.14 2.36 2.41 2.43 2.46 0.08 0.12
HB (g/dl) 9.87 10.77 10.82 10.92 11.01 0.46 0.44
HCT (%) 28.95 31.45 32.47 32.15 32.40 1.44 0.41
Anti-SRBC
2
1st response (35 days) 5.25 7.00 6.25 6.50 6.50 0.62 0.41
2nd response (42 days) 5.50
b
7.25
a
8.00
a
7.50
a
8.50
a
0.51 0.009
WBC =white blood cells, RBC =red blood cells, HB =hemoglobin, HCT =hematocrit.
a,b
Values within a row with different superscripts differ significantly at
P
<0.05.
1
BD: basal diet, basal diet +antibiotic, basal diet +probiotic, basal diet +0.25% eucalyptus leaves powder, basal diet +0.5% eucalyptus
leaves powder.
2
Anti-SRBC antibody production based on log
10
.
Mashayekhi, Mazhari and Esmaeilipour
2052

triglycerides and blood LDL decreased by treatments and this
reduction was significant for cholesterol (
P
<0.05).
Discussion
The study showed that the use of treatments improved
broiler BWG and FCR in finisher phase (25 to 42 days) and
whole period (1 to 42 days). Improving BWG and FCR by
antibiotics is not unexpected. The nutritional value of raw
materials available to livestock is closely linked to the quality
and size of the microflora in the host animal digestive tract
and its environment. Poultry do not have a natural microflora
capable of degrading all nutrients. These animals are char-
acterized by a resistor and a limited immunity against
infection due to colonization by pathogenic microorganisms.
This is why, the use of antibiotic growth promoters for the
inhibition of pathogenic bacteria has been recommended in
order to improve production performance and animal health
(Hashemi and Davoodi, 2012). Researchers have stated
increasing BWG and improving FCR by using antibiotics.
(Lillehoj and Lee, 2012). Cravens
et al
. (2013) showed that
using 22 mg/kg of diet virginiamycin in Cobb broiler ration
increased BWG and FI and decreased FCR significantly
compared with control groups. In a similar study on
turkey hens, BWG increased significantly by addition of
virginiamycin (Cervantes
et al
., 2011).
Improving BWG and FCR by EP was surprisingly, as there
was no significant difference between birds treated by EP
and antibiotic. There is no scientific research on effect of
EP on broilers. Abd-El Motaal
et al
. (2008) revealed that
supplementation of eucalyptus at the rate of 3 g/kg in diet
of laying hens from 46 to 54 weeks of age increased egg
number compared with control group. However, there was
no significant difference among treated groups for egg
weight and egg quality traits, except for breaking strength,
whereas the eggs produced from hens fed a diet containing
3 g eucalyptus had a significantly higher breaking strength
compared with other treated groups. Lippens
et al
. (2005)
studied on the effect of a mixture of plant extracts and
organic acids in comparison with the avilamycin in chicken
feed. The broilers fed with plant extracts showed a much
larger BWG than the other groups. Also FCR in broilers of the
plant extracts group was 0.4% lower than avilamycin group
and 2.9% lower than the organic acids group. Cabuk
et al
.
(2006) measured production traits in chickens fed with a
mixture of essential oils and showed this mixture improved
FCR of broilers due to high nutrients availability by changes
in the intestinal ecosystem.
Many researchers have stated positive roles of probiotics
in growth performance of broilers (Jeong and Kim, 2014;
Awad
et al
., 2009) Probiotics increase nutrients consump-
tion, digestive enzymes activity and feed digestibility and
may improve broiler performance (Jeong and Kim, 2014).
Carcass and breast relative weight increased significantly by
experimental treatments (
P
<0.05). The highest carcass and
breast weight was seen for broiler fed by antibiotic and 0.5%
eucalyptus. Increasing carcass and breast weight of turkey hens
has been reported by addition of virginiamycin previously
(Cervantes
et al
., 2011). Sarica
et al
. (2005) showed significant
increase in carcass yields of broilers fed by flavomycin anti-
biotic. Kabir
et al
. (2004) reported an increase in carcass and
breast weight of broilers fed with probiotic. Researchers have
stated increasing in digestive enzyme activity and nutrient
digestibily and absorption by adding essential oil of herbs
(Brenes and Roura, 2010). Increased Carcass and breast relative
weight by eucalyptus may be due to its essential oils and their
effect on digestion, absorption and increasing in BW.
Effects of treatments on relative weights of liver and
spleen was not significant (
P
>0.05), while Bursa of fabri-
cious relative weight increased (
P
<0.05). Increased weight
of this lymphoid organ may indicate a higher immunity
achieved by treated birds which could be justified by the
antimicrobial activity of antibiotic, probiotic and phenylpro-
panoids and flavonoids in eucalyptus. Addition of probiotic
Bacillus subtillis
in a study on broiler chicks, increase the
relative weights of bursa and thymus significantly (Teo and
Tan, 2007). Also Protexin probiotic increased liver and bursa
relative weights in broilers (Azadegan Mehr
et al
., 2014).
Khaligh
et al
. (2011) in a study on evaluation of different
medicinal plants blends in diets for broiler chickens indicated
that medicinal plants blends were not effective on relative
weight and relative length of different part of digestive
system and lymphoid organs such as: bursa and spleen.
Sarica
et al
. (2005) showed that supplementation of broiler
diets with Flavomycin antibiotic had no effect on liver weight
compared with control group.
Table 6
Effects of supplemental eucalyptus powder (EP), antibiotic (Ant) and probiotic (Pro) on blood glucose and lipids
Treatments
Parameters (mg/dl) BD
1
BD +Ant
1
BD +Pro
1
BD +0.25%EP
1
BD +0.5%EP
1
SEM
P
-Value
Glucose 209.25 207.50 206.50 200.25 193.50 4.17 0.09
Cholesterol 125.75
a
109.50
b
127.00
ab
113.50
ab
110.50
ab
2.37 0.001
Triglycerides 108.75 83.25 108.50 89.00 86.00 11.18 0.33
HDL 70.50 72.00 71.50 72.25 71.50 4.57 0.99
LDL 21.25 18.50 20.00 19.00 18.50 0.94 0.23
a,b
Values within a row with different superscripts differ significantly at
P
<0.05.
1
BD: basal diet, basal diet +antibiotic, basal diet +probiotic, basal diet +0.25% eucalyptus leaves powder, basal diet +0.5% eucalyptus
leaves powder.
Eucalyptus, antibiotic and probiotic in broiler ration
2053

Eucalyptus powder, antibiotic and probiotic had no
significant effect on relative weight of duodenum, jejunum and
ileum of broilers (
P
>0.05). But the relative weight of jejunum
increased by treatments and the highest length was observed in
antibiotic and probiotic groups. Ocak
et al
. (2008) indicated
that using medicinal plant in broiler diet had no effect on car-
cass weight, relative weight of internal organs, and relative
weight and length of intestine. While Sarica
et al
. (2005)
showed a decrease in relative weight of intestine of broilers fed
with antibiotic and an increase in relative length of small
intestine of broilers fed with herbal additives. It is assumed that
increasing intestine length is paralleled by an increased diges-
tive and absorptive function of the intestine due to increased
absorptive surface area, expression of brush border enzymes,
and nutrient transport systems. This fact suggests that the villus
function is activated after feeding of dietary antibiotic or pro-
biotic (Awad
et al
., 2009).
Our results showed that WBC increased significantly
(
P
<0.05) by treatments. Antibody production against SRBC
was also increased significantly by treatments on 42 days of
age (secondary titer) and the highest antibody production
was seen for birds fed with 0.5% EP and probiotic treatment.
According to the stimulation of antibody production by EP, it
may have beneficial effects in improving immune response.
Some researchers indicated that immune response has
increased with the using of probiotics, and medicinal extracts
in the diet, that is in agreement with our results (Khaksefidi
and Ghoorchi, 2006; Moorthy
et al
., 2009). These researchers
suggested that probiotic containing diets increase immune
response due to stimulation of B and T lymphocytes
production. Also some studies reported that herbal extracts
increase vitamin C activity and phagocytes activity which
improve immune response (Hashemi and Davoodi, 2012).
Eucalyptus supplementation at the rate of 2 and 3 g/kg diet
decreased the H/L ratio of lying hens, and improved general
immune condition (Abd-El Motaal
et al
., 2008).
The lowest blood glucose was seen for broiler fed by 0.5%
eucalyptus, although it was not statically significant. Also
blood cholesterol, decreased by treatments (
P
<0.05). Arise
et al
. (2009) indicated that aqueous extract of eucalyptus
globulus decreased blood triglycerides, glucose, cholesterol
and LDL in rats. A mechanism involved in the overall hypo-
cholesterolemic effect of herbal plants supplementation
might be attributed to the active components of plants as
the natural antioxidants. Phenolic compounds (flavonoids,
tannins, phenolic acids, terpenes) are the responsible
molecules for antioxidant activity of herbal additives. These
components can adhere to LDL, inhibit the free radicals
and thereby in turn decrease cholesterol absorption into
blood (Brenes and Roura, 2010).
Conclusion
The result of our study showed that EP, antibiotic and pro-
biotic had a significant effect on productive performance
traits of broilers in finisher period as weight gain increased
and feed conversion ratio decreased (
P
<0.05). Carcass,
breast and bursa of fabricious relative weight increased
(
P
<0.05) by experimental treatments. Effect of treatments
on antibody titer was significant on day 42 (
P
<0.05). White
blood cell was increased and cholesterol decreased by
treatments (
P
<0.05). The results of present study elucidate
that 0.5% EP can be suitable replacements for antibiotic
because its effect on broiler performance and immunity was
surprisingly close or even better than antibiotic and since this
magical herb has a widely spread around our tropical country
and world it can be suggested as a positive medicine herb for
using in broiler nutrition.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thanks the University of Jiroft,
Kerman, Iran, for providing experimental facilities and financial
support of this experiment.
Declaration of interest
We confirm that there is no conflict of interest for this paper.
Ethics Statement
This study was approved by the Animal Ethics Committees of
the Department of Animal Science in University of Jiroft that
follow the COPE code of conduct (http://publicationethics.org/
resources/code-conduct).
Software and data repository resources
All data of experiment are deposited in Animal Science library of
University of Jiroft and the access rights are for authors.
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