Use of natural antioxidants in feeding broiler chickens

Abstract

. Compounded feed is the most significant part of the pricing structure for poultry meat. It is essential to satisfy the physiological needs of the bird as much as possible by selecting the optimal composition and characteristics of the meal, which, in turn, directly depends on the quality of its components. In this regard, an urgent problem is using antioxidants to improve feed safety and optimise metabolism in the poultry body. Feed additives from plants with a high content of them in the diet can increase the efficiency of poultry rearing without compromising the quality of the product. In connection with the prospect of growing domestically produced poultry meat exports, obtaining environmentally friendly products with minimal use of veterinary drugs and chemical-based feed additives is becoming increasingly essential. The use of natural antioxidants is another step towards achieving this goal. This article reflects on the issue of using plant extracts in feeding poultry, the effect of including various additives on live weight, safety and efficiency of feed use. This work was carried out in three stages: developing a method for obtaining a feed additive, a scientific and economic experiment and a statistical data analysis. The first stage of research took place in laboratory conditions. A liquid cocoa husk extract was obtained by continuous percolation with an ethyl alcohol solution, which was then dried at low pressure and a temperature of 30–35 ºC. The second stage of the research was conducting a scientific and economic experiment on 250 heads of broiler chickens. The analysis of the results confirmed the effectiveness of using the plant extract in feed for poultry meat production.