Effect of dried oregano as a supplement in the diet of Extremadura Blue poultry on production and reproductive parameters
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5965/223811712422025333Keywords:
Medicinal herbs, Autochthonous poultry breed, Sperm quality, Egg laying, Food supplementAbstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of 2.5% dried oregano as a source of phytoestrogens in poultry diets on reproductive performance. A total of 120 hens of the Extremeña Blue breed and 10 cocks, 43 weeks old, housed individually without air conditioning in laying cages, were randomised into two groups and given water and feed ad libitum. After 90 days of feeding, an increase in the number of eggs laid was observed in the oregano supplemented group. However, none of the other parameters studied, such as fertility and hatchability, showed any significant difference. In the same way, the semen quality parameters did not differ between the two groups studied in terms of semen concentration, semen viability, semen motility and semen abnormalities (P>0.05).
Downloads
References
AKHLAGHI A et al. 2014. Improvements in semen quality, sperm fatty acids, and reproductive performance in aged Cobb 500 breeder roosters fed diets containing dried ginger rhizomes (Zingiber officinale). Poultry Science 93: 1236–1244.
BENCHAIB M et al. 2003. Sperm DNA fragmentation decreases the pregnancy rate in an assisted reproductive technique. Human Reproduction 18: 1023–1028.
BURROWS WH & QUINN JP. 1935. A Method of Obtaining Spermatozoa from the Domestic Fowl. Poultry Science 14: 251–253.
CETINGUL İ et al. 2009. Effects of oregano (Oregano Onites) on performance, hatchability and egg quality parameters of laying quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica). Italian Journal of Animal Science 8: 467–477.
CHEN X et al. 2017. Original Research: Effect of various dietary fats on fatty acid profile in duck liver: Efficient conversion of short-chain to long-chain omega-3 fatty acids. Experimental Biology and Medicine 242: 80–87.
CHENG C et al. 2018. Supplementing Oregano Essential Oil in a Reduced-Protein Diet Improves Growth Performance and Nutrient Digestibility by Modulating Intestinal Bacteria, Intestinal Morphology, and Antioxidative Capacity of Growing-Finishing Pigs. Animals 8: 159.
CUFADAR Y. 2018. Effects of Dietary Oregano Essential Oil Supplementation on Performance and Eggshell Quality in Laying Hens. Selcuk Journal of Agricultural and Food Sciences 32: 158–161.
DONOGHUE AM. 1999. Prospective approaches to avoid flock fertility problems: predictive assessment of sperm function traits in poultry. Poultry Science 78: 437–443.
DONOGHUE AM & WISHART GJ. 2000. Storage of poultry semen. Animal Reproduction Science 62: 213–232.
DUSZA L et al. 2006. Mechanism of phytoestrogens action in reproductive processes of mammals and birds. Reproductive Biology 6:151–174.
HENKEL R et al. 2004. Influence of deoxyribonucleic acid damage on fertilization and pregnancy. Fertility and Sterility 81: 965–972.
IVANOV V & BOZAKOVA N. 2022. Possibilites of using oregano (Origanum vulgare L) as a dietary supplemnet in broiler chicken and hens production. Journal of Hygienic Engineering and Desing: 266-271.
KABIR M et al. 2007. Osborne Selection Index and Semen Traits Interrelationships In Rhode Island Red and White Breeder Cocks . International Journal of Poultry Science 6: 999–1002.
MALAYOĞLU Bh et al. 2010. Effects of oregano essential oil with or without feed enzymes on growth performance, digestive enzyme, nutrient digestibility, lipid metabolism and immune response of broilers fed on wheat–soybean meal diets. British Poultry Science 51: 67–80.
PARKER H et al. 2000. Use of a sperm analyzer for evaluating broiler breeder males. 2. Selection of young broiler breeder roosters for the sperm quality index increases fertile egg production. Poultry Science 79: 771–777.
SALEH AA et al. 2019. The impact of phytoestrogen source supplementation on reproductive performance, plasma profile, yolk fatty acids and antioxidative status in aged laying hens. Reproduction in Domestic Animals 54: 846–854.
SHARBA I et al. 2020. Antioxidant role of origanum vulgare aqueous extract against reproductive toxicity assessment of fenugreek in female mice. Eu Asian Jour Bio Sci 14: 1335–1340.
SIUDZIŃSKA A & LUKASZEWICZ E. 2008. The effect of breed on freezability of semen of fancy fowl. Animal Science Papers and Reports 26: 331–340.
SUN Y et al. 2019. Differences in semen quality, testicular histomorphology, fertility, reproductive hormone levels, and expression of candidate genes according to sperm motility in Beijing-You chickens. Poultry Science 98: 4182–4189.
VAN MEEUWEN JA et al. 2007. (Anti)estrogenic effects of phytochemicals on human primary mammary fibroblasts, MCF-7 cells and their co-culture. Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology 221: 372–383.
VERSTEGEN J et al. 2002. Computer assisted semen analyzers in andrology research and veterinary practice. Theriogenology 57: 149–179.
YASSEIN SA et al. 2015. Response of laying hens to dietary flaxseed levels on performance , egg quality criteria , fatty acid composition of egg and some blood parameters. International Journal of Research Studies in Bioscience 3: 27-34.
ZIARI S et al. 2015. Comparison of the effects of Origanum vulgare with LHRH-A2 and 17β-estradiol on the ultrastructure of gonadotroph cells and ovarian oogenesis in immature Trichogaster trichopterus. Animal Reproduction Science 161: 32-39.
ZOU Y et al. 2016. Oregano Essential Oil Improves Intestinal Morphology and Expression of Tight Junction Proteins Associated with Modulation of Selected Intestinal Bacteria and Immune Status in a Pig Model. BioMed Research International: 5436738.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Authors & Revista de Ciências Agroveterinárias
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Authors publishing in this journal are in agreement with the following terms:
a) Authors maintain the copyrights and concede to the journal the copyright for the first publication, according to Creative Commons Attribution Licence.
b) Authors have the authority to assume additional contracts with the content of the manuscript.
c) Authors may supply and distribute the manuscript published by this journal.
