Effects of adding ginseng roots to diet on productive traits of Ross-۳۰۸ broilers exposed to heat stress

The current study was carried out on a poultry farm that belongs the Animal Production Department, College of Agriculture, University of Kufa, Iraq for a period from ۱۰ September through ۱۴ October ۲۰۲۰ in ۵ weeks. In this study, we assessed the effects of adding antioxidant (ascorbic acid) and red ginseng root powder (Panax) in reducing the effects of heat stress. The experiment included ۲۴۰ unsexed Ross-۳۰۸ cross chicks, one-day old, with an average initial weight of ۴۰ g. The chicks were divided into ۴ treatments encompassing ۶۰ chicks per treatment with three replications (each ۲۰ chick). The treatments including control diet fed on standard ration (T۱), diets with the added red ginseng root powder (Panax( at ۲ g kg-۱ feed (T۲), ۴ g kg-۱ (T۳) and  ۶ g kg-۱ (T۴). The chicks were fed on starter diet for the first ۲۱ days and a final diet from ۲۲nd to ۳۵th days. The results showed that T۴ were significantly (p < ۰.۰۵) superior to the control treatment by recording the highest average live body weight, total weight gain, and total feed consumption rate as well as the lowest value of feed conversion factor.

Keywords:

Antioxidants , Poultry , nutrition , Broiler , Panax spp