Using herbal plants in broiler diets with special reference to coriander, garlic, cumin, fennel, and yarrow: toward sustainable broiler production

SUMMARYThe poultry industry is a rapidly growing sector of livestock production that helps meet the increasing global demand for protein. As a result, there are continuous efforts to improve poultry production efficiency. Additionally, society is looking for high-quality animal products with special concern for antibiotics residue. Therefore, continuous research is being conducted to identify safe alternatives for synthetic antibiotic that could be used in poultry production as growth promoters. Phytobiotics are a safe natural feed additive that is obtained from plants. It has been demonstrated that phytobiotics have a variety of benefits, such as anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anti-oxidative, and metabolic-modulating properties. In poultry production, phytobiotics are used as growth promoters and result in meat and egg quality improvement. In addition, the use of phytobiotics as a substitute for antimicrobial/antibiotic growth promoters has been expanded to farm animals with the intention to improve the intestinal environment and, subsequently, growth as well as to avoid the risk for occurrence of antibiotic resistance. Nevertheless, there are certain difficulties related with phytobiotics’ application. Their efficacy may be affected by parameters like dosage, application strategies, and extraction processes. In order to fully integrate phytobiotics into chicken nutrition plans and realise their value as sustainable, natural alternatives to traditional antibiotics, the implementation of extra studies dealing with their mechanism of action is necessary.