The aim was to evaluate the effect of inclusion of Brazilian red pepper oil (Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi), as an additive in feed on performance and intestinal morphometry of broilers. A total of 300 day-old male chicks, Cobb, distributed in a randomized design in groups of four (4) treatments and five repetitions, with 15 birds each: diet without growth promoter and without Brazilian red pepper oil (negative control); diet with growth promoter (antimicrobial and anticoccidial - positive control); diet containing only antimicrobial (bacitracin zinc); diet with 0.4% of Brazilian red pepper oil. It was not verified significantly dietary effects on the performance of birds (P>0.05). At 21 days of age, the broilers chicks fed with growth promoter showed greater ratio of villous:crypt which not differs from chickens fed with 0.4% Brazilian red pepper oil (P<0.05). The diet without growth promoter resulted in the lowest ratio of villous:crypt (P<0.05). The addition of Brazilian red pepper in the diet of broiler chickens reduced the relative weight of the intestines compared to broilers fed diet without growth promoter (P<0.05). In this study there was no significant difference in crypt depth and in villous height between treatments (P> 0.05). It was concluded that the addition of 0.4% Brazilian red pepper oil resulted an improvement in intestinal absorptive surface of broilers compared with chickens fed with diet without growth promoter.
aviculture; Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi; essential oil; intestinal morphometry; performance; growth promoter
