Reduce Heat Stress in Broiler by Adding Onion

Abstract

Heat stress is one of the most critical environmental factor encountering poultry production all over the world. The adverse effects of heat stress on broilers and laying hens array from reduced growth and egg production to reduced poultry and egg quality and safety. Furthermore, the negative impact of heat stress on poultry welfare has recently involved increasing public awareness and anxiety. Considerably information has been published on the effects of heat stress on productivity and immune response in poultry. The new curiosity of consumers in organic products of natural origin free from harmful synthetic additives has followed by using of aromatic plants, their extracts, and essential oils, as active ingredients in the pharmaceutical, food and feed industries. Therefore, it has become necessary to develop alternative substances and strategies for animal growth promotion and disease prevention. Therefore, we aimed to test the hypothesis that using onion will improve broiler health and performance under heat stress condition. Ninety-six, 1-day old mixed sex broiler chicks (Ross 308) were randomly assigned to two experimental groups. Each treatment was included of 4 replicate. Experimental groups included a control group with basal diet, the remaining group receiving basal diet + 2.5 kg/t onion as a powder and + 2.5% onion extract in drinking water at room temperature ranged between 30–35°C. Feed intake and body weight were measured once a week as well as the rectal temperature. For measurement of carcass and organ weights and blood analysis, two birds per pen were slaughtered at 42 fowl per day. Results from our investigation showed that onion improved chicken performance and decreased cholesterol, and consumption of onion promoted heat tolerance of broilers. It can be concluded that addition of onion either as a powder or liquid reduces the adverse effect of heat stress or improve feed conversion ratio, weight gain and feeding efficiency of treated chickens.