Abstract
Simple Summary Recent research has demonstrated the beneficial effects associated with the addition of Rumex nervosus leaves (RNL) to the diet of broiler chickens. Coccidiosis, a disease caused by Eimeria, causes great economic losses in the poultry industry worldwide due to its prevalence and associated management issues. There has been some evidence that RNL can be fed to broiler chicks to prevent infections of the protozoa Eimeria tenella; however, there is no or insufficient evidence on the effects of RNL on growth performance and meat quality of broilers infected with Eimeria tenella. This research aimed to evaluate the effects of RNL on performance indices, carcass traits, and meat quality of broilers infected with Eimeria tenella-fed diets supplemented with RNL as a natural anticoccidial drug replacement. RNL had a positive effect on performance indices, meat quality, and some carcass traits in broilers infected with Eimeria tenella, according to the findings. Furthermore, 1 g of RNL led to a better quality of meat than other RNL doses concerning enhanced holding capacity of water, drip loss, myofibrillar fragmentation index (MFI), springiness, and tenderness. At higher doses (3 g of RNL), there was a noticeable decrease in the meat's final pH, MFI, and springiness. This work aimed to assess the effect of using the RNL on performance indices, carcass trait, and meat quality of broiler chicken infected with Eimeria tenella compared with commercially used anticoccidials salinomycin. Moreover, we compare these selected variables between infected medicated groups and a non-infected unmedicated group (UUT) and an infected unmedicated group (IUT). A total of 150 1-day-old Ross 308 mixed-sex broilers were divided into 6 groups. Birds in groups 1, 2, and 3 were fed basic diets supplemented with 1, 3, and 5 g of RNL/kg diet, respectively. Group 4 received a basic diet with 66 mg of salinomycin. The control groups (5 and 6) were given a basic diet with no RNL or salinomycin added. All groups except the negative controls were challenged with Eimeria tenella at 21 days old. Birds in RNL groups outperformed those in the IUT group in performance indices, and they have a similar effect to the salinomycin group. Enhancement-infected birds with RNL affected some chickens' carcass traits. Drip loss, water-holding capacity, and meat tenderness were improved by RNL inclusion (1 g) in the diet. In conclusion, the meat of infected birds receiving 1 g RNL had increased quality attributes, with preferable tenderness and springiness when compared to the IUT group. RNL could therefore also be considered a promising non-conventional feed source in the future. Further research is needed to optimize the use of RNL to improve broilers production and meat quality in both infected and non-infected conditions.