Protective effects of Scutellaria baicalensis and Lonicera japonica Extracts on Growth Performance and Heat Stress resilience in Broilers raised under hot and humid conditions
This project investigates the effects of dietary herbal extract mixture (HEM; Scutellaria baicalensis and Lonicera japonica) on growth performance and gut microbiome composition in broilers raised under heat stress conditions. Excreta samples were collected from broilers fed a basal diet and a diet supplemented with 0.025% or 0.050% HEM over 49 days feeding trial.Microbial community structure was analyzed using sequencing-based approaches to assess alpha and beta diversity, as well as taxonomic composition. While no significant differences were observed in diversity indices, HEM supplementation altered microbial composition, increasing the relative abundance of Firmicutes and Bacteroidota and decreasing Prevotella. These changes were associated with improved growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and reduced serum cortisol levels in broilers.This data set provides insight into diet-induced modulation of the broiler gut microbiome and its relationship with host performance and stress responses under high-temperature conditions.