Effectiveness of extracts of medicinal plants included in poultry diet

¹ Kuzbass State Agricultural Academy, 5 Markovtseva st., Kemerovo, Kemerovo Region, 650056, Russian Federation
² Gorno-Altai State University, 1 Lenkina st., Gorno-Altaysk, Republic of Altai, 649000, Russian Federation
³ Federal Altai Scientific Center for Agrobiotechnologies, 35, Science campus, Barnaul, Altai Territory, 656910, Russian Federation
⁴ Orenburg State Agrarian University, 18 Chelyuskintsev st., Orenburg, Orenburg region, 460014, Russian Federation

^* Corresponding author: OAglazunova@mail.ru

Abstract

A large number of papers have explored the use of phytobiotics in the diet of farm animals and poultry in recent years. This study area is much addressed, since vegetable feed additives can be an alternative to feed antibiotics. They have a pronounced growth-stimulating and immune-modulating effect on the body of young birds, and are essential for manufacturing organic products of animal origin. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effect of water-ethanol extracts of sarepta mustard on chicken meat performance, and the effect of mountain ash extracts on egg performance of laying hens. A scientific and economic experiment was performed, where broilers from the experimental groups received the sarepta mustard extract at doses of 10, 30, 50, 70, and 90 mg/kg of feed, and laying hens received the mountain ash extract at doses of 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 mg/kg of body weight. It was found that the optimal dose of the sarepta mustard extract for broiler chickens was 70 mg/kg of feed. The average daily weight gain exceeded the control indicators by 3.0%, and the European production efficiency factor and the Russian production efficiency factor for chicken meat by 33.2 and 7.2 units, respectively. For laying hens, the optimal dose of the mountain ash extract attained 70 mg/kg of body weight. It increased the egg production rates for the hen housed and middle hen by 12.2 and 10.4%, respectively, compared to the control, and exceeded that of the European egg production index and the Russian egg production factor for laying hens by 1.53 and 10.34 units, respectively.