. 2021 Oct 15;8:686143. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2021.686143

Table 2.

Effect of dietary treatments on growth performance of broiler chickens.

Items	Experimental treatments							SEM	p
	NC	Microencapsulated			Non-microencapsulated
		OA	EO	OA+EO	OA	EO	OA+EO
BW g
Day 0	42.8	43.2	43.0	42.9	43.3	43.1	42.9	0.16	0.350
Day 21	720	719	699	699	710	705	708	15.6	0.931
Day 28	1106^b	1266^a	1240^a	1260^a	1129^b	1112^b	1132^b	21.0	<0.001
Day 35	1694^ab	1802^a	1790^a	1804^a	1670^ab	1646^b	1682^ab	33.2	0.001
ADG g/day
Days 0–21	32.2	32.2	31.2	31.2	31.7	31.5	31.7	0.9	0.501
Days 21–28	55.1^b	78.1^a	77.4^a	80.2^a	59.7^b	58.1^b	60.5^b	2.24	<0.001
Days 28–35	84.1	76.5	78.6	77.7	77.4	76.4	78.6	4.24	0.892
Days 0–35	47.2^ab	50.3^a	49.9^a	50.3^a	46.5^ab	45.8^b	46.8^ab	0.95	0.001
ADFI g/day
Days 0–21	44.2	44.1	43	42.3	43.1	42.5	43.2	1.13	0.460
Days 21–28	94.2^b	111.9^a	109.2^ab	115.4^a	106.3^b	103.4^b	102.9^b	3.64	0.004
days 28–35	143.0	122.4	128.6	124.9	132.6	131.4	133.9	6.97	0.501
Days 0–35	73.1	73.3	73.4	73.5	73.6	72.4	73.3	1.70	0.990
FCR
Days 0–21	1.37	1.37	1.38	1.35	1.36	1.35	1.36	0.040	0.762
Days 21–28	1.71^a	1.43^b	1.41^b	1.44^b	1.78^a	1.78^a	1.70^a	0.036	<0.001
Days 28–35	1.70^a	1.60^b	1.64^ab	1.61^b	1.71^a	1.72^a	1.70^a	0.021	0.006
Days 0–35	1.55^a	1.46^b	1.47^b	1.46^b	1.58^a	1.58^a	1.57^a	0.017	<0.001

NC, negative control; OA, organic acid: fumaric; EO, essential oil: thymol.

Inclusion levels: microencapsulated fumaric acid: 1.5 g/kg; microencapsulated thymol: 3 g/kg; non-microencapsulated fumaric acid: 0.9 g/kg; non-microencapsulated thymol: 0.6 g/kg.

Different letters indicate significant difference between the seven dietary treatments at p ≤ 0.05.

Data are presented as mean (n = 10 replicates/group for all evaluated parameters).