{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,10]],"date-time":"2026-09-10T05:07:01Z","timestamp":1789016821103,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,1]],"date-time":"2026-09-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788220800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Vet. Sci.","Veterinary Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The global poultry industry seeks sustainable alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters due to concerns regarding antimicrobial resistance and chemical residues. This trial examined the physiological and productive impacts of a microencapsulated blend of thyme, oregano, and ajwain essential oils (TOA-EOs) in broiler chickens. A total of 360 male Ross 308 broilers were assigned to four dietary treatments: a basal diet (NC), a basal diet with 50 mg\/kg bacitracin (PC), and diets supplemented with either 0.75 or 1.5 g\/kg of TOA-EOs. Results demonstrated that TOA-EO supplementation significantly reduced feed intake (p &lt; 0.05) and improved feed conversion ratio (p &lt; 0.05), particularly in the 0.75 g\/kg group compared to NC. However, pairwise comparisons for body weight gain showed no significant differences among treatments based on Tukey\u2019s HSD test, despite a significant overall ANOVA (p &lt; 0.05). These performance benefits were linked to enhanced jejunal morphology, characterized by significantly increased villus height, surface area, and villus height to crypt depth ratio (p &lt; 0.05). Furthermore, the apparent ileal digestibility of crude protein was significantly enhanced (p &lt; 0.05), although serum antioxidant status and immune response against Newcastle disease virus were not significantly influenced (p &gt; 0.05). In conclusion, microencapsulated TOA-EOs effectively promote broiler growth performance by refining intestinal structure and enhancing nutrient digestibility, serving as a potent and sustainable alternative to traditional antibiotics.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/vetsci13090898","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,1]],"date-time":"2026-09-01T15:08:43Z","timestamp":1788275323000},"page":"898","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Microencapsulated Blend of Thyme, Oregano, and Ajwain Essential Oils Enhances Broiler Productivity by Modulating Gut Morphology and Nutrient Digestibility"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Maryam","family":"Sahraei","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Razi University, Kermanshah 6715685438, Iran"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9942-4273","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Reza","family":"Mahdavi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Razi University, Kermanshah 6715685438, Iran"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2739-2038","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Soudabeh","family":"Moradi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Razi University, Kermanshah 6715685438, Iran"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Leili","family":"Jamshidi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Razi University, Kermanshah 6715685438, Iran"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Hassan, A.H.A., Youssef, I.M.I., Abdel-Atty, N.S., and Abdel-Daim, A.S.A. 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