Comparative Efficacy of Essential Oil and Antibiotic Supplementation on the Growth Performance of Broiler Chickens
Sonu Singh *
Department of Animal Husbandry, College of Agriculture Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut, U.P.-250110, India.
Nazim Ali
Department of Animal Husbandry, College of Agriculture Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut, U.P.-250110, India.
D. S. Sahu
Department of Animal Husbandry, College of Agriculture Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut, U.P.-250110, India.
Debashis Roy
Department of Animal Nutrition, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut, U.P.-250110, India.
Ahmad Fahim
Department of Livestock Production Management, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut, U.P.-250110, India.
Gulab Chandra
Department of Veterinary Physiology and Biochemistry, College of Veterinary and Animal Science, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut, U.P.-250110, India.
M. K. Bharti
Department of Veterinary Physiology and Biochemistry, College of Veterinary and Animal Science, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut, U.P.-250110, India.
Yashesh Singh
Department of Animal Husbandry, College of Agriculture Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut, U.P.-250110, India.
Shalu Singh
Department of Animal Husbandry, College of Agriculture Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut, U.P.-250110, India.
Rishabh Singh
Department of Animal Husbandry, College of Agriculture Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut, U.P.-250110, India.
Mohd. Faiz
Department of Animal Nutrition, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut, U.P.-250110, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The withdrawal of antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) from poultry diets in several countries, driven by concerns over antimicrobial resistance and drug residues, has intensified interest in plant-derived essential oils as natural alternatives. The present study was conducted to compare the efficacy of dietary cinnamon oil and clove oil with antibiotic (tetracycline) supplementation on the growth performance of broiler chickens. Two hundred day-old Cobb-430 broiler chicks were randomly distributed into five dietary treatment groups of 40 birds each (four replications of 10 birds), viz. Control (basal diet), T1 (basal diet + cinnamon oil 600 mg/kg), T2 (basal diet + clove oil 600 mg/kg), T3 (basal diet + antibiotic/tetracycline 50 mg/kg), and T4 (basal diet + cinnamon oil 600 mg/kg + clove oil 600 mg/kg), and reared for 35 days under a deep litter system. Body weight, body weight gain, feed consumption and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were recorded at weekly intervals. Mean body weight and body weight gain were significantly higher (P<0.05) in T1 (891.13 g and 428.51 g/week, respectively) compared with the Control (739.51 g and 354.10 g/week), while T4, T3 and T2 exhibited intermediate performance in that descending order. Feed consumption was significantly lower in T1 despite its superior growth, resulting in the most favourable (lowest) FCR in T1 (1.31), followed by T3 (1.44), T4 (1.56), T2 (1.60) and Control (1.84). The findings indicate that dietary cinnamon oil at 600 mg/kg of diet improved growth performance and feed efficiency of broiler chickens more effectively than clove oil, the combined cinnamon–clove oil supplementation, and the antibiotic growth promoter, suggesting its potential as a viable natural alternative to antibiotic growth promoters in broiler production.
Keywords: Cinnamon oil, clove oil, antibiotic growth promoter, broiler chicken, growth performance, feed conversion ratio