Abstract
The objective of the research is to investigate effects of phytogenic additives as broiler feed supplements on production and slaughtering performances, morphological parameters and caecal microflora of fattening chickens of Ross 308 provenance. The research was based on two trials. In both trials, two feeding treatments were studied: a control diet with no supplemental feed additives (K) and a diet with a phytogenic additive supplemented to the control diet (1000g/t of Biomin PEP 1000, during the whole period). In the first trial, a total of 304 chickens were studied, in two treatments with four repetitions per pen with 38 chickens. The second trial included 16800 chickens, and it was conducted as a macro trial, that is, a pen with 8400 chickens was the subject of the trial. The results have shown that the chickens fed with the supplemental phytogenic additive have achieved significantly more favourable feed conversion rate. Differences in body mass and mortality rate between the trial group and the control were not statistically significant. Phytogenic additives did not have significant effects on breast portion and abdominal fat. Adding the phytogenic additive did not have significant effects on morphological parameters, but there was a tendency to increasing villous height and crypt depth. In both trials, the chicken groups fed with the supplemental phytogenic additive had less of all investigated groups of bacteria, and the differences were statistically significant for Enterobacteriaceae and Staphylococcus in the first, and Enterobacteriaceae and Enterococcus in the second trial. It can be concluded that the diet with the supplemental phytogenic additive had a positive effect on broiler performances, jejunum morphology parameters and caecal microflora.
Highlights
Modern strategies in broiler production are there to improve profitability, addressing productivity, legislation and consumers’ requirements
The chickens fed with diets with additives had bigger final body mass, more favourable feed conversion rate and lower mortality rate compared to the control
The positive effect of phytogenic additives on broiler body mass can be linked with the results of the research of Mountzouris et al (2011) and Perić et al (2010), in which phytogenic additives based on oregano, anise and citrus expressed positive effects in terms of increasing chicken body mass
Summary
Modern strategies in broiler production are there to improve profitability, addressing productivity, legislation and consumers’ requirements. A ban on the use of antibiotics as growth promoters in 2006 (Castanon, 2007) has led to a need for finding efficient yet safe additives for improving production performances with no negative effects on animal health and welfare, quality of food of animal origin, human health and the environment (European Commission, 2003). As replacement for antibiotics, most frequently used alternative growth stimulators in broiler production are probiotics, prebiotics, enzymes, acidifiers, antioxidants and phytogenic additives (Perić et al, 2009). Phytogenic additives, as natural substances, have been recognized as a very promising alternative solution, as they meet the requirements of consumers in terms of food safety and solve the problem of bacteria resistance that occurs as a result of using antibiotics as growth promoters (Silva Cardoso et al, 2012). Effects of phytogenic additives are mostly related to antimicrobial, antiviral, and antioxidative activities (B lükbaşi and Erhan, 2007)
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