Growth performance and feed conversion efficiency in broilers fed herbal growth promoters

Abstract:

One persistent observation across poultry farms in Japan is that antibiotic growth promoters, while effective, face growing regulatory pressure and consumer resistance. This research evaluated three herbal growth promoters—turmeric extract, oregano essential oil, and a mixed herbal blend—as alternatives to antibiotic feed additives in commercial broiler production. A total of 480 Cobb 500 broiler chicks were allocated to four dietary treatments (control, turmeric, oregano, mixed blend) at the Kanto Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan, from March 2022 to October 2024 across six independent trials. The mixed herbal blend produced the highest final body weight (1,587 g at 6 weeks), representing an 11.5% improvement over the unsupplemented control (1,423 g). Feed conversion ratio was best in the mixed blend group (1.72) versus control (1.89). Mortality was low across all treatments (2.1-3.3%). These results suggest that a combined herbal approach can replace antibiotic growth promoters without sacrificing broiler performance.