Background: Poultry Meat is one of the major sources of human food. The cholesterol level in poultry productions could be monitored by feeding different medicinal plants. The medicinal plants have hypolipidemic and antioxidant properties. Objective: The aim of this study was comparison hypolipidemic effect, hematocrit percentage and hemoglobin concentration in broilers given three commercial herbal extracts and virginiamycin. Methods: A total four hundred and eighty 1-d-old male broiler chicks were assigned to the basal diet (control) and 0.15% (V/V) virginiamycin, 0.1% (V/V) extracts of thyme (Thymus vulgaris), coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), garlic (Allium sativum) and blend of extracts with the same dose were added to water. Total cholesterol (TC), LDL cholesterol, triglycerides (TG), HDL cholesterol, hematocrit percentage and hemoglobin concentration were measured after 42 day. Results: Garlic (Allium sativum) significantly reduced the levels of TC, LDL, and TG and significantly increased the level of HDL. Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) improved hematocrit percentage and hemoglubin concentration, but not significantly. Conclusion: Herbal extracts could improve blood factors in comparison with the control and antibiotic fed birds.

Background: With the removal of antibiotic as growth promoters from poultry diets, it is of interest to investigate potential alternatives to maintain good growth performance and good intestinal microbial populations in these birds. Numerous additives such as Probiotics, prebiotics, organic acids, enzymes and herbal extracts used extensively in poultry feed. Objective: The study was conducted to investigate the effects of herbal extracts, probiotic, organic acid and antibiotic on serum lipids, immune response, intestinal morphology, microbial population and performance of broilers. Method: A total of 300 day - old male broilers (Cobb 500) were randomly divided into four treatments, five replicates with 15 birds in each. Treatments included: control, herbal extracts (Sangrovit®), probiotic (Primalac®), organic acid (Termin-8®) and antibiotic (Virginiamycin). Results: The highest weight gain (WG) were achieved by virginiamycin (p<0.05). Moreover, highest and lowest antibody titers against SRBC were observed in Primalac® and virginiamycin treatments, respectively (p<0.05). Lowest serum cholesterol and triglyceride were obtained by Primalac® and Sangrovit® (p<0.05). The lowest and highest coliform bacteria counts in ileum were seen in virginiamycin and control groups, respectively (p<0.05). Conclusion: It has been concluded that Sangrovit®, Primalac® and Termin-8® reduced pathogenic bacteria in digestive tract of broilers, which can help to improve intestinal health of these animals. Thus, these can be used as antibiotic alternatives in broilers feed.