Effect of different levels of Mentha longifolia and Thymus vulgaris powders on growth, carcass characteristics and immune system of Japanese quails

Mentha and Thyme medicinal planst are the effective plants on performance and immune system of poulty. This experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of different levels of 0, 0.25, 0.5 and 1.0% Mentha and Thyme mixture on performance, internal organs, carcass charactersitics and immunity system of Japanese quail. For this purpose, two hundered Japanese quails on day 14 were used in a completely randomized design with 4 treatments and 5 replicates for each (10 chicks per replicate). Consumption of different levels of Thyme and Mentha mixture had no significant effect on weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio during the different weeks of age or whole the expermnetal period in Japanese quail (P>0.05). Relative weight of spleen was increased by all the diferent levels of plant mixtures and the highest spleen weight was related to the birds fed 1.0% of Thyme and Mentha mixture (P<0.05). Delayed-type hypersensitivity (cellular immune) was decreased by the all levels of plants mixtures and more decreased at the higher levels of plant mixtures (P<0.05).The consumption of 0.5 and 1.0% of Thyme and Mentha mixtures caused the increased antibody titers as compared to the low plants mixture (0.25%) and the control diet (P<0.05). The all plants mixtures cauased the higher lymphocyte proliferation and respiratory brusting as compared to control treatment (P<0.05). In conclusion, consumption of 0.5 and 1.0% of Thyme and Mentha mixture increase the antibody titer against sheep red blood cells, lymphocyte profileration, and respiratory brusting ability and decrease the delayed type hypersensitivity in Japanese quail.