Effect of Chamomile, Wild Mint and Oregano Herbal Extracts on Quality and Quantity of Eggs, Hatchability, and Some Other Parameters in Laying Japanese Quails

Abstract

According to various reports of beneficial effects of medicinal plants on the performance of broiler chickens and less extensively studies in laying poultries, this study was conducted to find an appropriate and harmless feed additive to enhance the quality and quantity of poultry eggs. The effect of three herbal extracts on quantity and quality of eggs, blood parameters, hatchability, intestinal bacterial population, and intestinal morphology in laying Japanese quail were investigated. The study was applied with 64, ten-week old laying Japanese quails for 8 weeks. The experiment was a completely randomized design with 4 treatments, 4 replications and 4 birds per replicate (the ratio of male to female 1:3). Experimental treatments involved: Control, with no additive in drinking water; chamomile extract; wild mint extract; and oregano extract. Herbal extracts were added 1 mL/L drinking water. The three treatments showed no significant effect on productivity, egg mass, FCR, egg weight, feed intake and qualitative indices of eggs; however, the herbal extracts specially the chamomile extract reduced the cholesterol of eggs (P<0.05). Herbal extracts showed no significantly effects on the hatchability of fertile eggs. Oregano extract showed the best effect on reduction of the intestinal bacterial population and increase the villus height in ileum (P<0.05). Chamomile extract by reducing the yolk cholesterol can improve the egg market's popularity, and oregano extract by reducing the number of pathogenic bacteria and improving the villus height in ileum can be considered as a beneficial and low-risk additive for laying poultries.