Effect of Plectranthus amboinicus on carcass and visceral parameters of Cobb 500 chicken

Abstract

The aim of this research was to evaluate the effect of the inclusion of Plectranthus amboinicus in the feed of Cobb 500 broilers, on carcass and visceral parameters, using an open house located at the "Santa Inés" farm of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences of the Technical University of Machala (Ecuador). A Completely Randomized Design was used, where 6 treatments were evaluated, each with 4 Experimental Units of 10 birds·m2, for a total of 240 broilers. Treatments (T) arrangement were as follows: T1, consumed a basal diet with Antibiotic as a Growth Promoter (GPA) (Bacitrazine zinc 15%) and coccidiostat (LERBEK® "Clopidol 20% + Methylbenzoquate 1.67%"), while in T2, T3, T4 and T5 contained the dehydrated ground leaf of P. amboinicus at 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1.00%, respectively and, finally, T6 or Control, which did not include APC, coccidiostat or dehydrated P. amboinicus in the balanced mixture. The variables evaluated were: antemortem weight, expressed in kg; in percentage, blood, feathers, evisceration, carcass yield, thighs, against–thighs, breast, shoulder, wings, neck, paws, head, heart, liver, gizzard, spleen, intestines and gizzard fat, in relation to antemortem weight; and thickness of abdominal fat in mm. To discriminate the results, an ANOVA was applied prior to assumptions of normality and homogeneity, using Tukey's honest significant difference (HSD) procedure, with a confidence level of 95%. All data were processed using the PROC GLM (General Linear Model) procedure of the SAS statistical package. The results confirm that P. amboinicus does not have a detrimental effect on the carcass or viscera, which shows the margin of safety and potential use in feed.