Savory (Satureja hortensis L.) powder and extract effects on broiler chicken ileal Escherichia coli and Lactobacillus bacteria

The objective of this study was to evaluate savory (Satureja hortensis L.) powder (SP) and savory methanol extract (SE) levels on ileal microbial population when fed to 1-day-old to 6-week-old broiler chicks. A total of 225-day-old broiler chicks were randomly allocated to 5 treatments with 3 replicates and fed for 42 days. Treatments included no supplement (control), 1.0% and 2.0% SP in feed, 50 and 100 ppm SE in drinking water. Data analysis was performed using SAS software and means were separated using Tukey’s pairwise method. The results showed that including 1.0% or 2.0% SP in broiler feed or 50 and 100 ppm SE in the drinking water significantly (P < .05) reduced the ileal Escherichia coli population when compared to birds receiving the control treatment. The ileal Lactobacillus population was significantly (P < .05) greater from birds receiving the 50 and 100 ppm SE treatments when compared to birds receiving the control treatment. Furthermore, there were no significant effects on ileal E. coli and Lactobacillus populations among the four treatments of savory. The results revealed that SP or SE can be used as an alternative to antibiotics in broiler chicken feeds.