Effects of Adding Natural Blends of Kaolin and Spices on Broiler Performance, Meat and Bone Quality

Background: The aim is to compare the effectiveness of 3% of natural preparations mixtures based on kaolin associated with garlic, ginger and/or their mixture on the performance, the cutting yield, carcass and bone qualities of broiler.
Methods: 192 one-day-old Cobb 500 chicks were assigned to 04 groups of 48 four-replicate chicks (C: without addition; Kgar: 3% kaolin-garlic; Kgin: 3% kaolin-ginger and Kgg: 3% kaolin-garlic-ginger).
Result: Results showed that the mixtures significantly improve body weight and feed efficiency at 42 days, with nonetheless a more marked effect for the Kgar group (BW: +4.5%; FCR: -5.5%). In addition, still in favor of the Kgar group, the same tendency was recorded for the yield of chicken ready-to-cook (+3.2%; P=0.02) accompanied by enhanced breast and thighs yields. In terms of quality, the mixtures significantly impacted the meat conservation criteria by reducing water-holding capacity by almost 50% and less abdominal fat deposition. Finally, although not significant, the indicators of bone quality measured (ash content and seedor index) appear better in chickens receiving mixtures. The results of this study show the interest of adding a mixture of kaolin and condiments in improving broiler performance, meat quality and bone characteristics.