Abstract
Plant remedies used in avian ethnomedicine are potential candidates for the development
of phytogenic feed additives. An ethnoveterinary survey was carried out in 3 districts
in Zimbabwe to document plants used in poultry ethnomedicine and identify plants that
have the potential to be used for the development of poultry phytogenic feed additives.
The survey employed questionnaire-guided oral interviews with 146 smallholder farmers.
Key areas of investigation and discussion were poultry production and traditional
knowledge in bird health care (ethnotreatments and poultry disease control). The survey
documented a total of 36 plant species cited as being useful interventions for the
treatment and management of various poultry ailments/health constraints. These medicinal
plants belonged to 22 families, with the Fabaceae family the dominant family. The
plant species were used to treat 11 disease/health constraint categories, with the
highest number of species being used for
coccidiosis. Trees (44.44%) were the main reservoir of medicinal plants followed
by herbs (36.11%), shrubs (8.33%), climbers (8.33%), and flowers (2.78%). Based on
the results of the survey, Bobgunnia madagascariensis, Aloe chabaudii, Adenia gummifera, Erythrina abyssinica,
Agave sisalana, Capsicum frutescens, Strychnos cocculoides, Aloe greatheadii, Tridactyle
bicaudata, Senna singueana, Sarcostemma viminale, Morus alba, and Moringa oleifera are potential candidates for the development of phytogenic feed additives.
Key words
poultry - ethnoveterinary medicine - phytogenic feed additives - therapeutic - antimicrobial
resistance