Acacia auriculiformis leaves’ powder as an alternative for antibiotics uses in broilers organic farming

Abstract

The experiment tested Acacia auriculiformis leaves’ powder actions on broilers’ growing performance and their blood plasma lipid profile. So, an experiment with 150-day-old broiler chicks was set. At the end of week 3, all the broilers were weighed, and 10 homogenous groups of 12 chicks each were constituted, within whose 5 groups per gender. Also, Acacia auriculiformis (Aa) leaves were collected, dried during 2 weeks in laboratory rooms, and were powdered with a blender. Then, in addition to a control diet, 4 diets were made by incorporating 0.75%, 1.5%, 2.25% and 3%Aa leaves’ powder. So, the diets were 0%Aa, 0.75%Aa, 1.5%Aa, 2.25%Aa, and 3%Aa, respectively. Randomly, each broilers’ group was fed on a diet for 7 weeks and the birds were weekly weighed. At the end of week 10, 3 broilers of similar weights were slaughtered per group. Their blood was collected in 2 types of tubes, for blood cells count, and blood plasma lipid analysis. As a result, white blood cell (WBC) counts were 22.80, 21.52, 20.28 and 18.11*103/µL, with diets 0%Aa, 2.25%Aa, 1.5%Aa, and 3%Aa, respectively. Thus, this WBC count decrease confers an antibiotic action to Aa leaves powder. Following, HDL cholesterol content increased from 31.62 for diet 0%Aa to 37.80 mg/dL for diet 1.5%Aa (+6.18 mg/dL, p<0.001). Simultaneously, with 1.5%Aa, triglyceride content was the smallest for 21.03 mg/dL (p<0.001), and protein content was the highest for 4.01 g/dL. In conclusion, at 1.5% in the diet, Acacia auriculiformis leaves’ powder may be very beneficial to broilers’ organic rearing.