Effects of Peppermint (Mentha piperita) and Aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis) on Ileum Microflora Population and Growth Performance of Broiler Chickens in Comparison with Antibiotic Growth Promoter

This research was conducted to compare the effects of two medicinal plants (peppermint and aloe vera) and antibiotic growth promoter on ileum microflora population and growth performance of broiler chickens. In this experiment, 375 one-day old male broiler chickens (Ross 308) were used on a completely randomized design with 5 dietary treatments which were replicated 5 times with 15 birds per replicate. The experimental treatments were: 1) the control diet (basal diet with no additive); 2) basal diet + 10 g/kg dry peppermint leaves (DPL); 3) basal diet + 10 g/kg aloe vera gel (AVG); 4) basal diet + 5 g/kg DPL + 5 g/kg AVG and 5) basal diet + 10 ppm virginiamycin. Growth performance parameters were evaluated during the starter, grower and finisher periods and the populations of Lactobacillus and Escherichia coli bacteria was determined on the 42nd day of age. The maximum number of Lactobacillus bacteria was observed in the ileum of broilers fed diets containing DPL + AVG (P<0.05). The birds receiving the medicinal plant supplements had lower Escherichia coli population in comparison with control birds (P<0.05). The antibiotic fed broilers had higher feed intake, body weight gain, and dressing percentage than the control treatment and those fed medicinal herbs. The broilers fed medicinal herbs had higher feed intake, body weight gain and dressing percentage than the control (P<0.05). The birds fed mixture of DPL + AVG has better growth performance and dressing percentage. This study suggests that using a mixture of peppermint and aloe vera as a feed supplement of broiler chickens could be a potential alternative for antibiotic growth promoter.