Effect of supplementation different levels of cinnamon powder, antibiotic and probiotic on performance and jejunum morphometric charasteristics of broiler chickens

Cinnamon bark (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) due to the its active compound cinnamaldehyde, has antioxidant and antimicrobial effects which can be useful in broilers nutrition.
This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of supplementation different levels of Cinnamon powder (CNP), antibiotic (Virginiamycin) and probiotic (Primalac) on performance and jejunum morphology in broiler chicks.
A total of 384 day-old male broiler chicks (Ross 308) were randomly assigned in completely randomized design to 8 treatments, 4 replicates and 12 chicks per replicate for 42 days. Treatments were: Basal diet (BD based on corn – soybean meal), BD 0.1% CNP, BD 0.2% CNP, BD 0.3% CNP, BD Primalac, BD 0.2% CNP Primalac, BD Virginiamycin and BD 0.2% CNP Virginiamycin.
Results showed that dietary treatments had no significant effects on growth performance of broiler chicks during 1-21 and 1-42 days of age (P>0.05). No significant effects of treatments were observed for small intestine’s weight and length using the experimental treatments (P>0.05). Inclusion of CNP in BD 0.2% CNP treatment significantly improved epithelium thickness (P These results showed that the use of CNP had no effect on performance but reduced epithelium thickness which can lead to increase the rate of absorption of nutrients in broiler chicks.