Effect of adding the cold-water extract of Arugula leaves to drinking water on the growth performance of broilers

Document Type : Research Article (Regular Paper)

Authors

1 Department of Animal Production, College of Agriculture, Al-Qasim Green University, Iraq

2 Department of Animal Production, Al-Mussaib Technical College, Al-Furat Al-Awsat University, Iraq

3 Department of Medical Biotechnology, College of Science, Al-Mustaqbal University, Babylon, Iraq

Abstract

The current study investigated the effects of cold-water extract of Arugula (Eruca sativa) leaves on the performance of broiler chickens. A total of 144 Ross 308 broiler chicks was randomly allocated to the experimental treatments, regardless of sex (93 male:51 female), and assigned to four treatment groups from day one. Each treatment group consisted of 36 chicks, divided into 12 chicks per replicate. The first treatment (T1) served as the control (without any additives), while the second treatment (T2) included 50 mg/mL of cold-water extract of Arugula leaves added to each liter of drinking water. The third treatment (T3) involved 100 mg/mL of the extract, and the fourth treatment contained 150 mg/mL of the extract in the drinking water. The study demonstrated that the chicks receiving 100 mg/mL cold-water extract of Arugula leaves (T3) recorded higher body weight and weight gain, along with an improved feed conversion ratio (FCR) and reduced feed intake compared to the other treatments (P<0.05). Consequently, the T3 treatment resulted in markedly enhanced performance. Antioxidant enzyme activities, including glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX), catalase (CAT), and superoxide dismutase (SOD), significantly increased in this group, accompanied by reduced levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) (P<0.05). Additionally, the T3 treatment led to a significant increase in hemoglobin concentration (Hb), packed cell volume (PCV), and total red blood cell (RBC) counts compared to the other treatments (P<0.05). The T3 group exhibited lower percentages of heterophils and higher percentages of lymphocytes, resulting in a more favorable heterophil-to-lymphocyte ratio. These findings indicated that the cold-water extract of Arugula leaves effectively mitigated the oxidative stress and enhanced both the growth performance and hematological parameters in broilers.

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References

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Journal of Livestock Science and Technologies
Volume 14, Issue 1
September 2025
Pages 41-47

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