Effect of Butyric Acids Glycerides and Eugenol on Growth Performance, Intestinal Morphology and Bacteriological Examination in Broilers under Necrotic Enteritis Challenge

Abstract

A total of 210 one-day-old male Ross 308 broilers were used to investigate the effect of butyric acids glycerides (BAG) and eugenol (EU) on growth performance, intestinal morphology, blood metabolites and bacteriological examination in broilers under necrotic enteritis challenge. Dietary treatments consisted of 2 supplemental BAG levels (0 and 0.2%) and 3 EU levels (0, 500, and 1000 ppm) in a 2×3 factorial arrangement with five replicates and six birds in each group. The treatment groups were as follows: 1) basal diet, negative control group (NC); 2) basal diet + C. perfringens, positive control group (PC); 3) PC + 0.2% butyric acid glycerides (BAG); 4) PC + 500 ppm of eugenol (EU500); 5) PC + 1000 ppm of eugenol (EU1000); 6) PC + 500 ppm of eugenol +0.2% butyric acid glycerides (EU500+BAG); 7) PC + 1000 ppm of eugenol +0.2% butyric acid glycerides (EU1000+BAG). The addition of EU1000 and EU1000+BAG in the diet of challenged chickens increased the body weight compared to the PC group (P < 0.05). Also, adding EU at 500 or 1000 ppm + 0.2% BAG in the diet significantly increased the digestibility of dry matter and organic matter of challenged birds compared to the NC and PC control groups. The lowest cholesterol was observed for the challenged groups that supplemented EU1000+BAG compared to NC and PC controls. Supplementation in the diet with high or low-level EU and 0.2% BAG increased the carcass weight compared to the PC group (P < 0.05). The Thymus, spleen, and bursa of Fabricius weight in the PC group decreased compared to the NC birds (P < 0.05). Counts of the Lactobacillus subgroup were not affected by treatments, but C. perfringens in NC birds was higher compared to the PC group (P < 0.05). Generally, our results showed that adding 1000 ppm EU+0.2% BAG effectively controlled experimental Eimeria and C. perfringens coinfection.

Keywords

• broilers
• growth performance
• nutrient digestibility
• clostridium perfringens