ITALIAN JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE, cilt.11, sa.1, 2012 (SCI-Expanded)
The aim of the present experiment was to investigate the effects of oral administration of a live attenuated vaccine (VAC) and an essential oil blend (EOB), either alone or in combination, as a novel anticoccidial strategy for broiler chickens with a mixed Eimeria spp. infection. A total of 624 broiler chicks were randomly assigned to one of six treatments. Two of the groups, only one of which was challenged with coccidiosis, were given a basal diet and served as controls. The other two groups, also infected, were given a basal diet supplemented with monensin sodium (MON, 100 mg/kg) or the EOB (75 mg/kg). Of the remaining two groups, which were infected with coccidiosis, one was vaccinated against coccidiosis (VAC) and the other was both vaccinated and fed a diet with an EOB (VAC+EOB).