EFFECT OF THE DIETARY OREGANO (ORIGANUM VULGARE L.) POWDER AND OIL ON THE PERFORMANCE, CARCASS AND ORGANS DEVELOPMENT OF BROILERS REARED UNDER HEAT STRESS (32°C)

P.Al. Vlaicu, Tatiana Dumitra Panaite, Margareta Olteanu, Raluca Paula Turcu, Mihaela Saracila, Rodica Diana Criste

Abstract
    An experiment on COBB 500 broiler chicks, reared under heat stress, evaluated the effect of the oregano (Origanum vulgare L.) powder and oil, on broiler performance, carcass and organ development. The study used 80, 1 day-old Cobb 500 chicks, weighed individually and housed in an experimental hall with 32°C constant temperature, humidity 36% and 23 h light regimen. During the starter stage (1-14 days), all chicks received a conventional diet formulation with corn and soybean meal as basic ingredients. During the growth stage (14-42 days), when the actual feeding trial started, the chicks were weighed, assigned to four groups (C, C1, E1, E2). Compared to the conventional diet C (with monensin in the premix for the grower phase), diet formulation C1 didn’t include monensin in the premix. The diet formulations for the experimental groups were similar with formulation C1 but differed from it by the addition of 0.01% oregano oil (E1), or 0.005% oregano oil plus 1% oregano powder (E2). The chicks had free access to the water and feed. Throughout the experimental period from 14 to 42 days, body weight gain was recorded weekly and feed intake was recorded daily. At the end of the feeding trial, 5 chicks from each group were slaughtered in order to make measurements of the relative weight of carcass cuts and internal organs of broilers.

Key words: broilers, heat stress, oregano oil and powder, performance, carcass