Phytogenic feed additives mitigate summer stress and improve performance, intestinal health, and antioxidant status in broiler chicken

Mounika, T., Hanumanth R.M., Srilatha, T., Prakash, B., Gurram, S., Mendu, M., Supriya1, R., Joshi, S. and Gupta, S. 2025. Phytogenic feed additives mitigate summer stress and improve performance, intestinal health, and antioxidant status in broiler chicken. Indian Journal of Poultry Science, 60(1): 57-63. This study evaluated the efficacy of three phytogenic feed additives (PFA) in mitigating summer stress and enhancing performance in broiler chickens. Two hundred and forty day-old male broiler chicks were randomly assigned to one of four dietary treatments with twelve replicates each (n=5 birds/replicate). The treatments consisted of: 1) a control diet (CD); 2) CD + PFA-I (clove and eucalyptus essential oils; 25g/100kg); 3) CD + PFA-II (a blend of oregano, cinnamon, citrus peel, and FOS; 10g/100kg); and 4) CD + PFA-III (amla and linseed powder; 10g/100kg). Birds were reared in battery brooders until day 42. Results indicated that PFA supplementation significantly (P<0.05) improved body weight gain and feed conversion ratio (FCR) compared to the control. Morphological analysis revealed enhanced intestinal villi structure in PFA groups. Furthermore, PFAs positively modulated antioxidant status, evidenced by reduced lipid peroxidation (MDA levels). Serum biomarkers indicated reduced stress and improved health, with significant reductions in glucose, SGOT, SGPT, and corticosterone levels. Among the treatments, PFA-I (clove and eucalyptus essential oils) demonstrated the most pronounced beneficial effects across all measured parameters. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with phytogenics, particularly clove and eucalyptus essential oils, effectively alleviates summer stress and improves overall productivity and health in broiler chickens.