NATURAL AND INEXPENSIVE NUTRITIONAL HERBAL SOLUTIONS TO ALLEVIATE HEAT STRESS IN POULTRY

Heat stress represents a real menace of the poultry industry all around the world. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) predicts an increasing temperature by 1.5 degrees C as early as 2024. The normal body temperature of a chicken is about 41 degrees C, and its thermoneutral comfort zone ranges between 18-25 degrees C. To avoid the overheating and to dissipate the excess heat the poultry's body conducts a demanding struggle, therefore it affects production and immune parameters, and also eggs' quality. Reduced appetite and feed intake due to an impaired digestion and metabolism caused by intestinal morphology damage requires different strategies against the negative impacts of heat stress. Dietary herbal supplementation with natural and inexpensive ingredients can be considered an efficient strategy. There are globally available, with scientific demonstrated thermoregulatory effects, and also with antioxidant properties that enhances the production parameters and the health status of poultry. Herbal utilization offers medium and long-term economic and natural potential to minimize the negative effects of heat stress in local and global poultry industry