Effects of different levels of chicory (Cichorium intybus L.), zizaphora (Zizaphora tenuior L.), nettle (Urtica dioica L.) and savoury (Satureja hortensis L.) medicinal plants on carcass characteristics of male broilers

Four feeding trials were conducted to investigate the effects of using different levels of some medicinal plants on carcass characteristic of male broilers. In each of these experiments 300 broilers (Ross 308) from 1 to 42 days of age in two breeding periods, starter (1 to 21) and grower (22 to 42) days of age were used in a completely randomized design in 5 treatments and 3 replicates (with 20 birds in each replicate). The amounts of each medicinal plant powder were 0 to 2% for the control and the 5 experiment groups. The results showed that there were significant difference between treatments in all experiments about the carcass characteristics (p<0.05). By using chicory, the lowest percent of abdominal fat (2.16%) was observed in group 3, whereas the highest percent (3.61%) was observed in group 2. The highest and the lowest percents of thigh (27.70 and 25.37%) were observed in experiment groups 4 and 5. In using different levels of zizaphora the lowest and the highest percents of gizzard (2.54 and 3.1%) were observed in the control and the 5 groups. About nettle the highest and the lowest intestine percents (5.26 and 3.91%) were observed in control and 3 experiment groups, whereas the highest and the lowest gizzard percents (2.90 and 2.44%) were observed in 2 and control groups, the highest and the lowest percents of liver (3.85 and 2.87%) were observed in groups 5 and 3. Different levels of savoury could not affect the carcass characteristic in broilers, whereas different levels of chicory, zizaphora and nettle could effectively improve the carcass characteristics of broilers.