Effects of Dietary Supplementation of Black Cumin (Nigella Sativa) Powder on Growth Performance, Carcass Traits, Serum Lipid Profile, and Immunity in Broiler Chickens

Medicinal herbs have long been used in animal feed to enhance productivity and ensure the safety of animal products. In the present study, black cumin seed, a traditional herbal medicine widely used in South Asia, was investigated for its effects on productive performance, carcass traits, serum lipid profile, and immune status in commercial broiler chickens. A total of 144 day-old mixed-sex broiler chicks were randomly distributed to four dietary treatments with three replicates of 12 chickens each. The chickens were provided a balanced mash diet supplemented with 0%, 0.5%, 1% and 1.5% black cumin seed powder (dry matter basis) for up to five weeks. Weekly body weight, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio were evaluated in the current study. After five weeks, the final body weight was significantly higher in the 1% and 1.5% black cumin-supplemented groups compared to the control. Feed conversion ratio was significantly low, while the European production efficiency index and the broiler performance efficiency factor were significantly higher in the 1.5% black cumin-supplemented group compared to the control group. Regarding carcass traits, abdominal fat (0.58%, 0.86%, and 0.77%) was significantly lower, while breast muscle yield (23.70%, 23.77%, and 24.84%) was significantly higher in the black cumin-treated groups of 0.5%, 1%, and 1.5%, respectively, compared to the control group. However, the serum lipid profile indicated no significant differences. Among the immune organs, thymus weight (0.27%, 0.23%, and 0.24%) was significantly higher in the black cumin-supplemented groups than in the control. Immunoglobulin levels of IgM (3.13, 2.27, and 2.4 mg/mL) and IgG (4.57, 3.83, and 3.90 mg/mL) were notably higher in the black cumin-supplemented groups of 0.5%, 1%, and 1.5%, respectively, compared with the control group. These findings suggest that dietary supplementation of black cumin at 1% or 1.5% can have a positive effect on productive performance, some carcass traits, thymus weight, and immunoglobulin levels.