Effect of Supplementation of Different Levels of Urtica dioica Seeds to the Diet on the Immune Response and Microbial Composition of the Gastrointestinal Tract of Broiler Chickens

This experiment was conducted in the poultry field of the Department of Animal Production, College of Agriculture, Al-Qasim Green University in order to assess the effect of adding different levels of Urtica dioica seeds to the diet on the immune response and microbial composition of the gastrointestinal tract of broiler chickens. This study was performed on 180 one-day-old unsexed broiler chickens (Ross 380) which were randomly divided into four treatments, with 45 birds per treatment and 3 replicates in each treatment (15 birds per replicate). The treatments were conducted as follows: First treatment (control) without the addition of Urtica dioica seeds to the diet, second treatment: the addition of 5g/kg Urtica dioica seeds, third treatment: the addition of 10g/kg Urtica dioica seeds, and treatment Fourth: the addition of 15g/kg Urtica dioica seeds. The experiment included the following traits: antibody titer against Newcastle disease, investigating sensitivity against Newcastle disease, the relative weight of bursa of Fabricius, bursa of Fabricius index, as well as estimating the total number of bacteria, Coliform bacteria, and Lactobacillus bacteria. The results indicated that the addition of  Urtica dioica seeds led to significant improvement in cellular immunity (DHT) and antibody titer against Newcastle disease (ELISA), as well as significant improvement in the relative weight of bursa of Fabricius and bursa of Fabricius index, a significant decrease in the logarithmic number of total aerobic bacteria and Coliform bacteria, as well as a significant increase in the logarithmic number of Lactobacillus bacteria in the Duodenum contents for the small intestine and the Ceca, compared to the control treatment. Based on the obtained results, it can be concluded that the addition of Urtica dioica seeds to the diet can improve the immune traits and microbial compositions of the digestive tract of broiler chickens.