Cooling Relief: Eucalyptus Oil Eases Heat Stress in Broilers
Author：Lachance
Time：2025-07-23
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Stress caused by rising temperatures can reduce poultry's appetite. When the ambient temperature exceeds 35°C, the mortality and morbidity of broilers will increase.Eucalyptol in eucalyptus essential oil can bind to the animal's cold-sensitive receptors (TRPM8) and act as an agonist for TRPM8 receptors, thereby triggering an autonomous body temperature regulation response. This provides anti-stress effects and improves animal production performance under heat stress.Research by Awaad et al. showed that eucalyptus essential oil has a positive effect on reducing poultry heat perception, enhancing the sensitivity of the endocrine system's temperature regulation sensors. Adding eucalyptus essential oil to feed is an effective method to mitigate the adverse effects of high temperatures on broilers.Petrolli et al. applied eucalyptus oil in broiler production through drinking water (1 L of essential oil per 4,000 L of water) and spraying (1 L of essential oil per 200 L of water). They evaluated its effects on production performance, hematological parameters, white blood cell counts, and respiratory microbiota in heat-stressed broilers (raised at 32°C). The results showed that after 18 days of eucalyptus oil treatment, the hematocrit levels in broilers significantly decreased, indicating that eucalyptus oil can enhance their resistance to heat stress.
Tekce et al. studied the addition of different levels of eucalyptus essential oil mixtures to the drinking water of broilers under temperature stress (22°C and 36°C). They found that the eucalyptus essential oil group mitigated the negative effects of stress on broilers. At 22°C, the control group had the highest feed consumption, while the group with 750 mL/L of essential oil had the lowest. Under 36°C heat stress, the control group again had the highest feed consumption, whereas the group with 500 mL/L of essential oil had the lowest.Therefore, adding eucalyptus essential oil can activate cold receptors through TRPM8 receptors in the oral cavity and skin, alleviating heat stress-induced behaviors such as wing spreading, panting, and loss of appetite. Additionally, it improves gut microbiota and reduces harmful metabolic byproducts in feces, thereby decreasing ammonia production in chicken manure and enhancing the environmental quality of farms.Source: Li Xuemei, Zhang Pingying, Li Chengxian, et al. Research Progress on the Application of Eucalyptus Essential Oil in Poultry Production [J]. Feed Research, 2023, 46(16): 187-191. DOI:10.13557/j.cnki.issn1002-2813.2023.16.036.
