Research note: Effects of dietary Abelmoschus manihot L. flower powder supplementation on growth performance, relative organ weight, and liver status in broiler chickens.

The objective of this experiment was to assess the impact of dietary Abelmoschus manihot L. flower powder (AMP) supplementation on growth performance, relative organ weight, and liver status in broiler chickens. A total of 144 1-d-old mixed-sex Arbor Acres broiler chicks were randomly allotted to 1 of 3 dietary treatments with 6 replicates per treatment in a completely randomized design. Each replicate contained 8 birds. The corn-soybean meal-based basal diet was prepared without AMP supplementation. Two additional experimental diets were formulated by incorporating AMP into the basal diet at levels of 0.5 or 1.0 %. The diets were provided ad libitum for 35 d. The results indicated that dietary AMP supplementation has no positive effects on growth performance. However, there was a trend toward reduced (linear, P = 0.054) relative liver weight as AMP inclusion increased in diets. Moreover, birds fed diets containing 1.0 % AMP had less relative spleen weight than those fed diets containing 0 and 0.5 % AMP, and there was a decrease (linear, P < 0.05) in relative spleen weight as inclusion levels of AMP in diets increased. Birds fed diets containing 0.5 and 1.0 % AMP had less (P < 0.05) fatty liver scores than those fed the basal diet. Increasing inclusion levels of AMP in diets also decreased (linear and quadratic, P < 0.05) fatty liver score in broiler chickens. Feeding diets supplemented with 1.0 % AMP tended to increase (P = 0.085) total antioxidant capacity (TAC) than those fed basal diet, and TAC increased (linear, P < 0.05) by increasing inclusion levels of AMP in diets. Collectively, dietary AMP supplementation improves hepatic function and increases antioxidant capacity in broiler chickens, with no detrimental effects observed in this experiment. These findings support that AMP may be considered a promising feed additive in broiler diets to improve hepatic health of broiler chickens.