MORPHOFUNCTIONAL CHANGES OF SPLEEN IN GIVING COLLOIDAL SILVER TO BROILER CHICKENS
Immune system is one of the main systems of body, which largely determines the degree of animals and poultry health, as well as their adaptive capabilities and productivity. In this regard, research is of great interest, which is aimed at identifying morphofunctional connections of all systems of the chicken body, in particular, spleen as one of the organs of immune system that provides protection from viruses, bacteria and foreign cells. This article describes the results of histological studies of spleen when giving a solution of colloidal silver to broiler chickens of Ross-308 cross. 2 groups were formed for the experiment: control and experimental. The conditions of keeping and feeding broiler chickens were the same. The experimental group was given a silver-based drug according to a certain scheme. For histological examination, the selected autopsy material was compacted into paraffin after fixation in formalin, and then sections with a thickness of 7 microns were made on a rotary microtome. The preparations were stained with hematoxylin and eosin, studied under a Leica DM 1000 microscope. As a result of histological examination, minor changes in the structure of chickens’ spleen at different stages of development were revealed. Thus, the chickens of the experimental group at the age of 14 days had larger, well-defined lymphatic follicles, there was no mucoid swelling, compared with the control group. No significant morphological differences were found in chickens of both groups up to 42 days of age. Thus, the use of colloidal silver does not have a negative effect on the bird's body and drinking it from the age of three days will increase the safety of young animals by stimulating lymphocytopoiesis.