World·s Poultry Science Journal, Supplement 1, Expanded Abstract - Poster Presentation - Nutrition and Feed Technologies, 81 WPC2012 - Salvador - Bahia - Brazil  5 - 9 August - 2012 Book of Abstracts NF_2012pc132_1 EVALUATION OF Artemisia EXTRACT AS AN ANTIBIOTIC GROWTH PROMOTER SUBSTITUTION ON PERFORMANCE AND CARCASS CHARACTERISTICS OF BROILER CHICKENS Seyed Ali Tabeidian 1 , Fatemeh Behnamnejad 1 , Majid Toghyani 1 , Rahman Jahanian 2 1 - Dept. of Animal Science, Khorasgan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran 2 - Dept. of Animal Science, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran ABSTRACT This study was performed to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with Artemisia extract a as growth promoter agent on performance and carcass traits of broilers. A total of 300, 7-day-old broilers (Ross 308) were randomly assigned to five treatments with five replicates of 12 chicks. The dietary treatments consisted of the basal diet as control, antibiotic group receiving 0.02% virginiamycin, 0.05, 0.1 and 0.2% Artemisia extract added to the basal diet. The bioactive components of the extract used; were determined to be camphor 4.18, cineol 2.75, artemisinin 0.97, scopodrinal 0.19, borneol 0.17, scopofarnol 0.07 and linaleol 0.04 percent of the extract. Body weights of broilers were measured at 7, 14, 28 and 42 d, feed intake was measured for different periods and feed conversion was calculated, accordingly. Experimental diets did not induce any significant impacts on daily feed intake. Inclusion of 0.05 and 0.1 % Artemisia extract enhanced daily weight gain of chicks over the finisher and entire periods (P<0.05). Feed conversion ratio was also calculated to be lower (P<0.05) in 0.05 and 0.1% Artemisia extract treatments compared to other groups during finisher phase. Internal organ relative weights, carcass yield and fat deposition were not influenced by the treatments at 46 day of age; however, birds in antibiotic group exhibited the highest skinless breast yield (P<0.05). The present results suggest that Artemisia extract at an inclusion rate of 0.05 and 0.1%, could improve productive traits of broiler chicks. KEYWORDS: Broiler, Artemisia extract, Performance, Carcass characteristics. INTRODUCTION Sub therapeutical application of in- feed antibiotics in animal diets has arisen into a controversial issue worldwide and is facing reduced social acceptance due to the appearance of residues and resistant strains of bacteria. As a result new alternatives are being introduced to livestock producers, among which phytogenic and herbal products have been given considerable attention as possible in-feed antibiotics substitutions. Beneficial effects of bioactive plant substances in animal nutrition may include the stimulation of appetite and feed intake, the improvement of endogenous digestive enzyme secretion, activation of immune responses and antibacterial, antiviral and antioxidant actions. The genus Artemisia (Asteraceae) is the largest and most widely distributed one of the approximately 60 genera belonging to the tribe anthemideae. This genus comprises a variable number of species, ranging from 200 to over 400, which are predominantly distributed in the northern temperate region of the world