A tolerance test was conducted with total 48 male turkeys (strain, Big 6, of three months old) over a period of 70 days, to find the effect of basil and thyme (medicinal plants) and some enzymes (kemzyme and zymogen) as feed additives on turkey toms’ performances. Forty-eight male turkeys (3 months old) were randomly divided into eight groups (6 toms/each). The control group (C) was fed a basal diet without feed supplementation. Group (B) was supplemented with basil (3 g basil/kg diet) group (T) was fed thyme (2 g thyme/kg diet), group (TB) was fed a mixture of basil and thyme (3 g basil + 2 g thyme kg diet), group (Z) was fed zymogen (1 ml/4 liter water); and group (K) was supplemented with kemzyme (0.5 g/kg diet), group (BTK) was fed a mixture of basil, thyme and kemzyme, the last group was fed with diet supplemented with basil, thyme and zymogen. Body weight gain, feed conversion ratio was measured at the end of 10th week of experiment. Blood samples were taken to measure some biochemical parameters, at the same time some tissues for morphological and molecular studies were prepared. Toms fed with either basil, thyme or kemzyme (BT) had significantly (p < 0.05) heaviest body gain than the control, (Z) or (BTZ). Significant increase occurred of the dressing percent (DP%) in group (B) and (BT) compared to the groups (T, Z, BTK and BTZ).
Supplementation with (K) significantly decreases the serum total lipids than the (C) group and all supplemented groups at P < 0.05. Serum cholesterol levels of the groups (T), (BT) and (Z) recorded a significant increase than those of groups (C), (K), (BTK) and (BTZ). Meanwhile; triglyceride levels revealed significant decrease in control group at (p < 0.05) than all other groups. All experimental groups recorded no differences in both serum protein and albumin. Although there were an increased levels of serum AST of groups (T) and (Z) compared to control and other groups, meanwhile; (T) and (Z) groups revealed the lowest level of serum ALT.
Concerning the antioxidant parameters, results reviewed that (T), (BT), (BTK) and (BTZ) had a higher level of MDA activity than the (B), (K) and (Z) supplemented groups illustrate no difference versus the serum (MDA) activity of the (C) group. Serum SOD activity revealed no differences within all groups. Serum TAC recorded significant increase in all supplemented groups compared to their level in control group.
Studies of intestinal integrity; morphometry studies indicated that the villous height increased in groups (T), (Z) and (BTK) with a higher villous to crypt ratio and goblet cell numbers of group supplemented with (BTK). Moreover, the villous width revealed a significant increase in the (C) and (Z) groups. The measurement of total DNA of duodenal tissues which reflect the cell mitosis was higher in (T), (Z) and (BTK), (BTZ) at P < 0.05; the recorded results of DNA/protein of the same segment of the duodenal tissues revealed higher ratio (higher ribosomal activity) of (T), (Z), and (BTK) groups. Cell size of the duodenal tissues as indicated by (protein/DNA) was increased by (K) and decrease by (T) and (Z) supplementation at P < 0.05.
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