Effectiveness of using of nettle extract in raising broiler chickens
Currently, agricultural specialists have a great interest in poultry feed additives that can become an alternative to antibiotics. Medicinal plants are a source of a wide range of biologically active compounds that have, among others, antimicrobial effects. The authors believe that a comprehensive evaluation of the efficacy of their use under production conditions should be carried out. This evaluation is necessary to obtain a fuller picture of the potential use of various forms of medicinal plants, in particular their extracts, in poultry production. The authors studied the effect of feeding different doses of water-ethanol extract of nettle (Urtica dioica L.) on growth, carcass quality, safety and chemical composition of meat of broiler chickens of ISA F15 cross from one day old to 40 days old. The experiment was conducted in an industrial poultry farm of Kuzbass, where a control group and five experimental groups of 35-day-old chickens were selected by the method of similar groups. Throughout the experiment, the chickens of the control group were fed complete feed according to the phases of rearing, and the birds of the experimental groups were fed additional nettle extract in different doses. Feeding broiler chickens with nettle extract at the doses of 5, 10, 15 and 20 mg/kg body weight increased the intensity of their growth by 0,4-1,4% and reduced feed conversion by 0,6-2,3%. High survival was noted in the groups which received the extract at doses of 5, 10, 20 mg/kg body weight. When nettle extract is added to complete feed for broiler chickens, the tendency to increase the carcass slaughter yield by 0,3-0,75% in groups 2, 3, and 4 of experimental and the caloric content of poultry meat by 0,8-6,6% in all experimental groups is established. Based on the results of the poultry meat production efficiency index evaluation, the authors suggest including nettle extract at a dose of 10 mg/kg body weight in the composition of complete feed when raising broiler chickens in order to increase the level of profitability.