Comparative Evaluation of Herbal Growth Promoter (Auctus) and Antibiotic Growth Promoter (Enramycin) in Broiler Chickens

The present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a herbal growth promoter (Auctus) as an alternative to an antibiotic growth promoter (AGP) in broilers.A total of 180 one-day-old VenCobb 430 Y chicks were randomly assigned to three groups: T0 (basal diet), T1 (basal diet + 100 g/MT Enramycin), and T2 (basal diet + 500 g/MT Auctus), with four replicates per group.The trial duration was over 42 days.Results showed a significant improvement (P0.05) in body weight, FCR, and European Production Efficiency Factor (EPEF) in both T1 and T2 groups compared to the control.Histomorphometry analysis revealed significantly higher (P<0.05)villus height in the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum in the T2 group.The cecal microbial analysis indicated a significant reduction in E. coli counts in T2 group and an increase (P<0.001) in Lactobacilli in the T1 and T2 groups.Immune response analysis showed a significantly higher (P<0.001)antibody titer against Newcastle disease virus in the T1 and T2 groups.Furthermore, there was a significant (P<0.05)increase in the bursa weight of broilers in the T2 group compared to the control group.Herbal growth promoter fed broilers (T2) showed comparable growth performance and immune responses to AGP fed broilers (T1) but had lower E. coli levels in the gut and longer small intestine villi.These findings suggest that Auctus can effectively replace AGPs, supporting broiler performance while addressing concerns related to antibiotic use and human health. HIGHLIGHTSm Auctus supplementation significantly improved growth performance in broilers, comparable to antibiotic growth promoter.m Broilers fed Auctus exhibited reduced E. coli and increased Lactobacilli populations in the cecum.