Efecto de la inclusión de una mezcla de aceites esenciales sobre los parámetros de la canal en pollos broiler.

Abstract

This research was conducted at the "Santa Inés" experimental farm of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences at the Technical University of Machala, in the province of El Oro, Ecuador. The objective was to evaluate the effect of including a mixture of essential oils on carcass and visceral parameters in Cobb 500 chickens. A total of 200 one-day-old mixed Cobb 500 chicks were used in a completely randomized design (CRD), following the standards established in the general voluntary guide for the Adoption and Certification of Good Poultry Practices. The birds were provided with adequate feeding, hydration, temperature, and humidity, and an appropriate vaccination schedule for the area was followed, including vaccines against Gumboro "Intermediate Strain" and Newcastle "La Sota Strain," with their respective boosters. The feed was formulated manually using raw materials from the company “Balmar.” Six treatments and four replicates with ten chicks per experimental unit were implemented. The first treatment (T1 or control) included antibiotics as a growth promoter and coccidiostat in the broiler feed. The second treatment (T2) added 0.01% of an essential oil mixture replacing the APC, the third treatment (T3) added 0.02% of an essential oil mixture, the fourth treatment (T4) added 0.03%, and the fifth treatment (T5) added 0.04% of an essential oil mixture. The variables studied were: Antemortem weight (g), Bleeding weight (g), Plucking weight (g), Eviscerated weight (g), Carcass yield (%), Breast weight (g), Thigh weight (g), Drumstick weight (g), Shoulder weight (g), Head weight (g), Neck weight (g), Leg weight (g), Wing weight (g), Heart weight (g), Spleen weight (g), Liver weight (g), Gizzard weight (g), Intestine weight (g), Gizzard fat weight (g), and Abdominal fat thickness (mm). Data were collected on the 35th day of rearing, and 40 birds were sacrificed, two chickens from each replicate (eight per treatment). The data collected were analyzed with the Statgraphics Centurión XV.I.® statistical program using one-factor ANOVA after establishing Normality and Homogeneity assumptions. For data that did not fit, the Kruskal-Wallis test was used to establish differences. To determine differences and confidence intervals, Fisher's Least Significant Difference (LSD) procedure was used with a 95.0% confidence level. The inclusion of 0.01% Mix Oil showed favorable results in antemortem weight, bleeding, plucking, evisceration, carcass, drumsticks, breast, shoulder, and head weights. However, when analyzing the results in percentages relative to antemortem weight, the inclusion of an essential oil mixture shows good results at the carcass and visceral levels compared to feeding with antibiotics and coccidiostats in broilers. This provides a natural, effective, and cost-efficient alternative to the use of antibiotics like APC, improving the health and performance of the chickens' carcasses.