The effect of dietary supplementation of the broiler chicken diet with Boswellia serrata resin on growth performance, digestibility, and gastrointestinal characteristics, morphology, and microbiota

The study was conducted to determine the effect of supplementation of the broiler chicken diet with Boswellia serrata resin (BSR) on growth performance, dry matter, organic matter, and energy digestibility, as well as gastrointestinal characteristics, morphology, and microbiota. A total of 200 one-day-old broiler chickens were assigned randomly to 4 treatments with 5 replicate cages of 10 broiler chickens per cage (5 females and 5 males). The experiment lasted 6 wk, and broiler chickens were fed diets containing 0 (control), 3 (BSR3), 4 (BSR4), or 5% Boswellia serrata resin (BSR5). There was no effect of the treatments on growth performance. The proportion of the proventriculus in the metabolic weight was lower (quadratic, P<0.05) in the broiler chickens fed the diets containing BSR compared to those fed the control diet. In addition, broiler chickens fed the BSR3 and BSR4 diets had greater digestibility of dry matter and organic matter (control vs. BSR diets and quadratic, P<0.05). The jejunum was shorter (P<0.05) in broiler chickens fed the diets supplemented with BSR (control vs. BSR diets and quadratic, P<0.05). In the duodenum of chickens receiving BSR diets, a decrease in the depth of crypts and an increase in the villus: crypt were observed (quadratic, P<0.05). In broiler chickens fed the BSR diets, a decrease in the count of Escherichia coli and an increase in the count of Lactobacillus and Enterococcus were observed (control vs. BSR diets and quadratic, P<0.05). A decreased count of Clostridium spp. strains was observed as well (control vs. BSR diets and linear, P<0.05). The resin of Boswellia serrata can be considered as a good feed additive, which can have positive effects on intestinal microbiota and the gastrointestinal tract morphology of broiler chickens.