Effect of Chinese Herbal Medicine on Growth Performance, Immune Organ Index and Antioxidant Functions in Broiler Chickens

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of five different Chinese herbal medicine separated supplements on growth performance, immune organ index and antioxidant functions in broilers. One-thy-old male Arbor Acres broilers (n=420) were equally allotted to seven treatment groups: basal diet (control) group or basal diet with additional 0.1% Monensin or one kind of Chinese herbal medicine (Cynanchum atratum: CA; Radices Paeoniae alba: RPA; Morus alba L.: MAL; Astragalus membranaceus: AM, or Eucommia ulmoides Oliver: EUO). The results show that CA significantly increased the average weight gain and bursa index and decreased the average daily feed intake and feed/meat ratio (F/G) (P < 0.05), which was similar to that mediated by Monensin. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) concentration in kidney had a increasing tendency in the CA treatment group compared with control (P > 0.05). While MAL supplementation increased the F/G and decreased the survival rate and SOD levels in liver and kidney (P < 0.05). Growth performance was not significantly altered with RPA, AM and EUO supplement to the diet (P > 0.05). Whereas, EUO treatment significantly reduced SOD concentration in heart and liver (P < 0.05), and RPA treatment decreased the SOD concentration in heart and kidney (P < 0.05). In conclusion, these data suggest that the CA is a beneficial Chinese herbal medicine to improve the growth performance in broilers and can be used as an antibiotic alternative in poultry industry. (C) 2018 Friends Science Publishers