Economic evaluation of phytobiotic supplementation in broiler chicken

Abstract

The present study evaluated the economic efficiency of dietary supplementation with a phytobiotic mixture containing Phyllanthus niruri and Curcuma longa in broiler chickens. A total of 180 day-old broiler chicks were randomly allotted to five dietary treatments comprising a control, an antibiotic-supplemented group, and three phytobiotic-supplemented groups at 0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5% inclusion levels for a period of six weeks. Economic analysis was performed by considering variable costs such as chick cost, feed cost, and additive cost, while income was calculated based on final live body weight. The results revealed that broilers fed 0.5% phytobiotic mixture recorded the highest net profit, profit per bird, and benefit-cost ratio, along with the lowest cost per kilogram of live weight. Higher inclusion levels increased production cost without proportional economic benefits. The study concludes that supplementation of a 0.5% phytobiotic mixture is the most economically viable option for sustainable and antibiotic-free broiler production.