Effect of herbal powder supplementation in protecting histopathological changes associated with caecal coccidiosis

Abstract

An experiment was conducted on one day old, 120 broiler chicks to study the effect of madar (Calotropis procera) leaf powder and amprolium supplementation on caecal histology of broiler chicks during coccidiosis. Broiler chicks were divided into five groups (I-V) each with two replicates of 12 chicks. Group I and II were provided unsupplemented diet, Group III was supplemented with 0.125% amprolium, group IV and V were supplemented with 0.2% and 0.4% madar leaf powder supplementation respectively. On 15th day of experiment, groups II, III, IV and V were infected with 50,000 sporulated oocysts containing 80% Eimeria tenella. Histopathological changes were studied on 5th, 10th and 15th days post infection from two birds of each replicate. Histopathological changes were minimum in group III. In madar leaf powder supplemented groups (IV and V) protection from histopathological changes was observed from lesions associated with coccidiosis and effect was concentration dependent.