Effects of dietary supplementation of domestic skullcap (Scutellaria baicalensis) extracts on performance, immune response and intestinal microflora in broiler chicken.

This study was carried out to investigate dietary effects of extracts of Skullcap (Scutellaria baicalensis) (SCE) grown in Korea on growth performance, immune and physiological responses in broiler chickens. Total of seven-hundred fifty 1-d-old Ross male broiler chicks were divided into five groups and fed control diets (antibiotics medicated or non-medicated commercial diets) or each experimental diet (non-medicated diets containing 0.1, 0.3 or 0.5% SCE) for 5 weeks. The body weight gain and feed conversion rate in the groups fed diets containing 0.1% or 0.3% SCE were significantly improved as compared with those of non-medicated control group (P<0.05). The levels of total cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol of blood were not influenced by feeding the SCE. The average antibody titers against NDV and IBV in the groups fed diets containing SCE were significantly increased compare to those of the control groups (P<0.05). The number of coli form bacteria was significantly reduced by feeding 0.3% or 0.5% SCE as compared to that of non-medication control (P<0.05). The results demonstrated that the SCE used in this study modulated humoral immunity and the profiles of cecal microflora and thus can be used as a potential alternative substance to replace antibiotics for feeding broiler chicks.