Effect of Prebiotic and Chamomile, Oregano, and Marjoram Extracts on Laying Performance, Blood Parameters, and Intestinal Histomorphology in Laying Hens in the Late Phase of Production

Effect of prebiotic and extract of three medicinal plants: Chamomile, Oregano, and Marjoram on the performance, intestinal histomorphology, and blood parameters of laying hens in the late phase of production, by using 60 TETRA-SL brown-egg laying with 80-week-olds, in a completely randomizes design containing five treatments and four replicates with three birds in each experimental unit for eight weeks were investigated. Prebiotic was added at 0.5 g/kg of diet, and medicinal plant extracts in a ratio of 1:1000 were added to the drinking water of birds. Quantitative indicators at the end of each week and quality indexes at the last week of the experiment were measured. At the end of the experiment, blood was taken from one bird in each experimental unit, and the birds were slaughtered to study the intestinal bacterial population and histomorphology. The effect of experimental treatments on the quantity and quality of produced eggs was not significant (P<0.05). Blood cholesterol and yolk cholesterol were lower in the chamomile extract-receiving birds than in the other experimental groups (P<0.05). The population of E. coli and coliforms in the intestine of marjoram extract-receiving birds was lower than other treatments (P<0.05). Prebiotic treatment increased the villus height in the duodenum and ileum, and the marjoram extract increased the villus height in the ileum (P<0.05). According to the result, the use of chamomile extract can reduce the yolk cholesterol level, and the use of prebiotic and marjoram extract improves the microbial flora and intestinal histomorphology in laying hens.