Impact of Dietary Garlic Inclusion on Weight Gain, Feed Intake and Growth Efficiency in Broiler

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of incorporating garlic into the diet on broiler growth performance. A total of 120 one-day-old Cobb-500 broiler chicks were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments, each with 30 chicks and three replicates per treatment. Four experimental diets were formulated: a control diet and three treatment diets with garlic powder at concentrations of 0.2% (T1), 0.4% (T2), and 0.6% (T3) in the feed mixture. The feeding experiment was conducted over a period of 42 days, during which various parameters were assessed, including feed intake, weight gain, feed conversion ratio (FCR), live body weight, carcass yield, carcass cuts, and Bursa cloacalis (Bursa of Fabricius) measurements. The findings indicated no significant differences (p≤0.05) between the groups in terms of growth performance. However, the inclusion of garlic powder in the diets improved live body  weight, increased the feed conversion ratio (FCR), and decreased cumulative feed intake. Additionally, the Bursa cloacalis was slightly higher in the control group compared to the experimental groups.