The Effect of Origanum majorana Supplementation on Growth Performance, Blood parameters and Meat Quality in BUT9 Commercial Turkeys

This study was conducted to evaluate that effect of a herb marjoram (Origanum majorana L) supplementation on the growth performance, blood parameters, and meat quality in BUT9 commercial turkeys. 57 BUT9 commercial turkeys at 8 wk of age (initial starting age with average body weight 1533 25.32 g) were divided randomly into three treatments. Each treatment had two replicates with unequal number of birds of each treatment. A group of chicks was fed a basal diet (control) and the remaining two groups of Turkeys were fed the basal diet supplemented with marjoram at a concentration of 0.4 % (T1) and 0.8% (T2), respectively, until 19th wk of age (marketing age). Results revealed that body weight and body weight gain was improved significantly (P 0.05), feed intake was decreased and thus feed conversion was improved by feeding marjoram. These results showed that feeding on T1 diet improved non-significantly the percentage of eviscerated weight. Both creatinine and cholesterol levels of two marjoram treatments reduced significantly (P 0.05) compared with controls. The supplementing of Origanum majorana to basal diet increased values of albumen, globulin, total protein while AST, ALT and ttriglycerides values reduced without significant. Significant treatments effects (P 0.05 or P 0.01) were detected on tenderness of breast meat, lightness color of thigh and breast meat, redness and yellowness color of thighs only. The best values of meat quality measurements generally were recorded of two groups fed on treated diets containing marjoram compared with control group. It seemed from the results, supplementing of marjoram to basal diet improved growth performance, blood parameters, and meat quality of BUT9 turkeys.