Published in Scientific Papers. Series D. Animal Science, Vol. LIX
Written by Serhat AKYILDIZ, Muzaffer DENLI
Various kinds of antibiotics have been used extensively as growth promoters in animal feeds for a large number of years, especially in the fields of poultry production. As a result of the decision to ban of the antibiotics in livestock production researches on plant extracts as alternatives to the use of growth promoters (antibiotics) has significantly increased. Many novel natural candidate replacements including probiotics, prebiotics, organic acids and plant extracts and essential oils have been applied to maintain good production. Recently, herb and plant extracts have been received a great attention to be fed to poultry as feed additives to improve and increase production. The most commonly studied plants to be used in animal nutrition are cinnamon, oregano, cumin, garlic, sumac, cloves, anise, mint, coriander and ginger. Researchers have shown that these extracts are the powerful stimulators of the immune and animal digestive systems as well as highly beneficial effects in poultry nutrition due to their antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiviral, anticoccidial and anthelmintic properties. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the recent knowledge on the use of plant extracts in poultry feeds as feed additives and their effects on the poultry performance.
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