Effect of Andrographis paniculata supplementation on growth and feed conversion efficiency of broilers

A biological trial was conducted to study the effect of Andrographis paniculata as growth promoter and its effects on broiler production performance with one hundred and fifty commercial day-old broiler chicks. The chicks were randomly allotted into five treatment groups with three replicates of ten chicks each and fed basal diet (T₁), basal diet with virginiarnycin-20 mg/kg (T₂), basal diet with A. paniculata-1.0 g/kg (T₃), basal diet with A. paniculata-2.0 g/kg (T₄) and basal diet with A. paniculata - 3.0 g/kg (T₅) for 42 days period. The result revealed that A. paniculata did not have any direct antibacterial effect on broiler intestinal microorganisms in an in vitro study. The body weight and weight gain did not differ signiftcantly between the treatment groups at 6 weeks of age. The cumulative feed consumption was signiftcantly lower (P<0.01) in A. paniculata fed at 2.0 and 3.0 g/kg of diet than control. The feed conversion ratio also signiftcantly (P<0.05) better in A. paniculata fed at 2.0 and 3.0 g/kg at 6 weeks of age. It was concluded that A. paniculata (2.0 g/kg) may be effectively utilized as growth promoter in broiler diet.