Effect of different levels of essential oils of Lippia origanoides kunth in broiler chicken

Objective. Determine the level of inclusion of essential oil of Lippia origanoides Kunth (AEO) to maximize body weight and economic efficiency. Materials and methods. The AEO was obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC / MS. Four levels, 0, 100, 200 and 300 ppm of AEO were evaluated in two groups of chickens, a group challenged with attenuated oocysts of coccidia and another unchallenged group. Results. Supplementation with 100 ppm of AEO reduced the negative impact of the challenge with attenuated oocysts of coccidia with body weight, 1,799, 1,889 and 1,995 g in the groups challenged without AEO, challenged + AEO and control, respectively (p<0.001). A significant interaction was identified between supplementation with AEO and challenge on body weight and feed conversion (p<0.05). The AEO level that maximizes the level of body weight in non-challenged chickens groups was 65 ppm; it was 147 ppm for the challenged group. Conclusions. It was shown that AEO, rich in thymol, can be a viable natural additive for the production of chicken meat.