Effect of adding rosemary leaves (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) powder to feed on growth performance and some blood parameters of broiler in hot climate region

Abstract

The study was conducted at Poultry Research Station of Agriculture Faculty - University of Tripoli, Libya. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of adding different levels of rosemary leaves powder to broilers` feed on growth performance, carcass quality and some blood parameters. A total of four hundred one day old Ross 308 unsexed broiler chicks were used. The experiment lasted to 42 days. The chicks were divided to five treatment groups according to the percentages of rosemary leaves powder added to feed; 0.00%, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1.00%. The treatments were distributed on replicates by using complete random design. Each treatment was applied in four replicates with 20 chicks each. The results showed that the birds consumed rosemary leaves powder at 0.25, 0.50, and 0.75 achieved highly significant reduction in averages of daily feed intake, feed conversion ratio and mortality% compared with the birds in control treatment. Moreover, groups on 0.50 or 0.75% rosemary powder have shown a significant reduction in proportion of abdomen lipid layer comparing to control group. On the other hand, the results showed no significant differences between the five groups in body weight, body weight gain, carcass characteristics, parameters, notably, of glucose, cholesterol, T3 and T4.