Growth performance and heamatobiochemical parameters of broilers fed diets containing Artemisia afra essential oil

The study was conducted to determine the effects of Artemisia afra Jacq. ex Willd. essential oil inclusion in diets on growth performance and blood parameters in broiler chickens. Four hundred day-old Cobb 500 chicks were randomly allotted to four treatments: NC - negative control (commercial broiler diet without antibiotics), PC - positive control (commercial broiler diet), AA1 - commercial diet + 0.1% A. afra essential oil, and AA2 - commercial diet + 0.3 % A. afra essential oil. Each treatment was replicated 10 times. From the results, birds fed the PC diet had the highest average daily feed intake (105.60 g +/- 3.18) and average daily gain (ADG) in the grower phase. The highest ADG in the finisher phase was obtained in the AA1 treatment (170.23 g.d(-1) +/- 2.00), whereas the feed conversion ratio was lower in the essential-oil-containing diets. Diet significantly improved protein utilization efficiency in both grower and finisher phases. Birds fed AA1 had the highest values for neutrophils, monocytes, and eosinophils, whereas those fed the NC diet had the highest alkaline phosphatase levels (102.00 IU.L-1 +/- 7.61). The findings of the study suggest the use of A. afra essential oil in broiler diets can positively improve growth and flock health.