5. Conclusions
This study showed that clove oil improves growth performance of broiler chickens, but it would depend on the dose in anon-linear way with the optimum dose being approximately 30–60 mg clove/kg feed.
Changes on intestinal microbiota and epithelium may be involved in the mechanism of action of plant extracts.
Future experiments should be designed to describe changes in the whole range of intestinal microbial populations and to clarify the causality chain among microbiota, immune system, and other possible changes in the intestinal ecosystem.