Effect of in ovo feeding of Centella asiatica leaf extract on hatchability, morphometric, visceral organs, intestinal morphology, and blood hematology parameters of Indonesian native chicks

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of in ovo feeding of Centella asiatica leaf extract on hatchability, physical quality, blood hematology, visceral organs and immunity, and intestinal morphology of native chicks. A total of 300 fertile eggs were used in this study. This study used a completely randomized design with five treatments and six replicates, consisting of 10 fertile Sentul chicken eggs, each replicate. Treatments were uninjected eggs (P0), eggs injected with 0.5 ml PBS (P1), eggs injected with 0.5 ml PBS containing 1 mg (P2), 2 mg (P3), and 4 mg (P4) of Centella asiatica leaf extract. In ovo feeding of Centella asiatica leaf extract up to 4 mg significantly improved (p < 0.05) hatchability, villi height to crypt depth ratio, and leukocytes number, but had no significance (p > 0.05) on hatching weight, morphometric traits, physical score, weights of the proventriculus, gizzard, liver, thymus, colon, and relative length of the small intestine, cecum, and colon, as well as the number of hemoglobin, hematocrit, erythrocytes, leukocyte differentiation and the ratio of heterophils to lymphocytes. In ovo feeding of Centella asiatica leaf extract significantly reduced (p < 0.05) the weight of the heart, gallbladder, spleen, bursa of Fabricius, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, cecum, and crypt depth. It is concluded that in ovo feeding of Centella asiatica leaf extract at 4 mg improves the hatchability, immunity, and intestinal health without lowering the physical quality of Sentul chicks.

Keywords: Antioxidant; Hatchability; Herbs; Immunity; In ovo; Sentul chick.