Table 16.
Productive performance in birds fed with a diet supplemented with a THY source.
| THY source and concentration | Duration | Main findings on productive parameters | References | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chickens | ||||
| THEO (5 g/L); THEO-CIN-TUR blend (5 g/L in equal ratios) | 1–21 days | Decreases live body weight and increases relative weight of organs; mix treatment decreases carcass weight compared to control | (151) | 2012 |
| THEO (thyme leaves; amount unspecified) | 1–35 days | Normal performance; no losses; no performance enhancement noted under optimal conditions | (57) | 2013 |
| THY-CAR (0, 60, 100, and 200 mg/kg diet) | 1–42 days | Reduces feed intake; highest body weight gain and feed efficiency is observed at 200 mg/kg | (125) | |
| THEO (0, 5, and 7.5 g/kg diet) | 1–42 days | No effect on body weight, feed intake, or FCR | (131) | |
| 20% volatile THEO (200 cc/1,000 L of water, 2×/day) | 10–36 days | Lower mortalities, feed intake, and FCR in treatment group increase body weight | (160) | |
| THY (0, 200 mg/kg diet) | 1–32 days | No impact on performance parameters | (22) | 2014 |
| EOs blend (THY 13.5 g, CIN 4.5 g per 100 g blend; 0, 50, 100 mg/kg) | 1–42 days | No differences are observed in growth performance in Salmonella spp.-challenged broilers | (155) | |
| THEO (various concentrations) | 1 to end of rearing period | No influence on growth performance | (58) | 2016 |
| EOs (25% THY and 25% CAR; 0, 60, 120, 240 mg/kg) | 1–28 days | No growth performance changes are observed; FCR decreases between days 14 and 28. | (111) | |
| THY (0, 250 mg/kg) | During heat stress | Increases body weight gain, decreases FCR by 6% and 4%, respectively; increases carcass and breast percentages | (126) | |
| THP (0, 5 g/kg); THP-TUR (2.5 g/kg each) | 1–42 days | Increases body weight in THEO|-only group; blend group had highest feed intake and lowest FCR | (152) | |
| THEO (0, 0.75% feed); THEO-TUR-coriander blend (0.25% each) | 1–42 days | No significant growth performance differences | (161) | |
| Encapsulated phytogenic additive (100 mg/kg, including THY) | 1–42 days | Increases body weight and weight gain by day 42; improves FCR during finisher phase | (162) | |
| THEO (0, 1, 1.5, and 2 g/kg) and mannanoligosaccharides | Rearing period in hot climate | Reduces feed intake in 1 g/kg group; best FCR with 1 g/kg THEO and mannanoligosaccharides; no differences in productive efficiency | (134) | 2017 |
| THP (2, 5, and 8 g/kg; T. vulgaris with 50.48% THY) | 1–42 days | Best growth and economic results with 5 g/kg; 8 g/kg group shows lowest revenue and highest feed cost for 1 kg live weight gain | (135) | |
| EOs blend (25 mg/kg), combined or not with saponins (46 mg/kg). THY concentration in the diet: 1 mg/kg feed | 1–21 days | Numerical improvement in growth performance traits of all groups fed the phytogenic additive compared to control broilers during the starter period | (163) | |
| THP (0, 10, 20, and 30 g/kg diet) | 1–28 days | All the groups supplemented with the dried THP show a better FCR than control. Greater in the 30 g/kg diet group | (136) | 2018 |
| THEO (0, 0.05, and 0.1% w/w) | 1–28 days | No significant impact on growth performance parameters, though a slight decrease in slaughter weight was noted | (59) | 2019 |
| THEO (0.00%, 0.01%, 0.05%, and 0.1%, w/w) | 32–60 days | Performance parameters are unaffected by THEO | (70) | |
| THEO (47.59% THY; 0, 3 g/kg) | 1–28 days | Higher daily gain and feed intake; lower FCR in broilers fed diets contaminated with mycotoxins | (137) | |
| EOs blend (THY 13.5%, CIN 4.5%; 0, 50, and 100 mg/kg) | 11–42 days | No significant effect on final body weight, weight gain, growth rate, feed intake, or FCR | (142) | |
| THEO (0, 0.25, 0.5, 1%) | 1–42 days | Increases weight gain and reduces FCR by 0.5% and 1% THEO | (164) | |
| THY (1 g/L/day, containing 15% THY) and amoxicillin (48 mg/L of product containing 700 mg/g amoxicillin) in water | 2 weeks | Chickens in both THY and amoxicillin groups show significantly higher body weights than controls, with the THY group showing the lowest consumption index. THY positively enhances zootechnical performance | (84) | 2020 |
| THY (300 mg/kg diet), along with CAR and EUG as components of an EO blend | 12 weeks | THY-supplemented groups in enriched cages show a 10% increase in egg production and improved egg weight and mass. Feed intake is lower with THY, and FCR improves across all periods. Eggshell strength, thickness, yolk color, and albumen height are all enhanced | (138) | |
| Encapsulated EOs with equal concentrations of THY and CAR (140 g/kg); dosages of 0, 60, and 120 mg/kg diet | 28 days (post-coccidiosis challenge) | Significant increase in body weight gain and feed intake in broilers challenged with a higher dose of coccidiosis vaccine compared to challenged birds without EOs. EOs mitigated coccidiosis-induced reduction in weight gain and feed intake | (165) | |
| EOs blend (50, 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg; 42 days) with THY (3.05%) as the main compound and smaller amounts of CAR and CIN | 42 days | A quadratic increase in body weight gain is observed during days 1 to 21 with EOs supplementation, suggesting optimal growth performance at moderate levels of the blend | (19) | 2021 |
| THEO, OEO, and other THY-containing EOs (star anise, rosemary at 25 mg/kg; THY concentration: 1.02 mg/kg diet) and saponins (46 mg/kg), alone and in combination | 42 days | No significant performance differences during the starter period. During the grower and overall periods, all supplemented groups show higher weight gain than controls, with improvement of FCR in the EOs plus saponins group | (139) | |
| EOs from Lippia origanoides (0, 80, and 150 ppm) and zinc bacitracin (50 ppm) | Duration not specified | All treatments improve FCR more than the control group. 150 ppm EOs group: improve egg production, egg mass, and enhance external and internal egg qualities, including shell thickness and yolk color | (166) | |
| Lyining hens | ||||
| THP (0, 3, 6, or 9 g/kg) | 36–52 weeks of age | No significant differences in body weight change, feed consumption, or FCR, but 3–6 g/kg THEO increase egg mass and weight | (128) | 2015 |
| THEO (45–50% THY) and peppermint (menthol); each at 100 mg/kg diet, individually and combined | 56 days | Significant interactions between EOs on feed FCR, egg production, and egg mass. Combined EOs increase egg production and egg mass and reduce FCR compared to the basal diet | (140) | 2016 |
| THEO (THY concentration not reported); 0.9% of diet. | Not specified | THEO supplementation improves FCR, egg production, and egg output. Egg quality traits are significantly enhanced | (1) | 2017 |
| Quails | ||||
| THY: 400 mg/kg diet | 12 weeks (from 4 to 16 weeks old) | THY supplementation does not significantly affect growth rate, final body weight, or egg production parameters, but increases hatchability | (167) | 2018 |
| THEO (35.40% THY) and savory EOs (33.06% THY); dosages of 200, 300, and 400 ppm | Not specified | A decrease in feed intake is observed in the 400 ppm THEO group, with a notable improvement in FCR at this dosage. Body weight gain remains unaffected by treatments | (141) | |
| THY; 0, 2, 4, and 6.25 g/kg diet | 1 month | No significant differences in daily feed intake between treatments | (71) | 2019 |
| THEO (THY concentration not reported) | 8 weeks | THEO treatment significantly improves average daily gain and FCR | (80) | |
| Pigeons | ||||
| THY: 40 mg/kg body weight in feed | 15-day post-infection with Eimeria labbeana | Body weights of squabs treated with THY are significantly higher than controls on day 8 post-infection with E. labbeana. Treated groups show greater body weight gain than the untreated group | (143) | 2020 |