Evaluation of dietary Dill powder on the performance, carcass characteristics, blood metabolites, humoral immunity and immune-related gene expression in broilers

This study was done to assess the effects of dietary Dill (Anethum graviolens L.) inclusion on growth performance, carcass characteristics, some blood metabolites, ileal micro-flora, humoral immunity, and immune-related gene expression in broilers. This experiment arranged by using a total of 600 day-old Ross-308 broilers with 5 treatments, 6 replicates as 20 birds per replicate. Treatments included: basal diet contained 1% dill plant powder, basal diet contained 2% dill plant powder, and basal diet contained 3% dill plant powder, basal diet, basal diet + Lincomycin (0.05%, positive control). The results indicated that during the whole period of the experiment (1-42 day), dietary dill powder inclusion at the levels of 1 or 2 percent increased body weight gain of the broilers (p<0.05). Production efficiency index of the broilers fed with 2 percent dill powder was higher than the control group (p<0.05). The birds consumed 2 percent dill powder had higher ileal Lactobacillus population (p<0.05). Feeding the birds by 2 or 3 percent dill caused to decrease ileal Escheriashia-Coli count of the broilers (p<0.05). In conclusion, using 2% dill powder in broilers diet could improve growth performance and intestinal micro-flora without any adverse effect on the birds’ carcass traits.