The using of microalgae <i>Chlorella vulgaris</i> for chicken-broilers feeding
The trial was performed on three groups of broiler chickens cross COBB 500, 39 chickens each, during the growing period from 7 to 42 days; the third group fed basic diet (BD, control), group I fed BD + suspension of microalgae Chlorella vulgaris at an amount of 1 ml/kg BW, grpoup II fed BD + 2 ml/ g BW of this additive. In group I, phagocytic activity of blood cells and serum bactericidal activity were above control (P<0.01). A higher number of bifidobacteria was noted in group I compared to control (P<0.05) and with group II (by 55%). The number of lactobacilli in group II was three times above group II (P<0.05) and by 41% above group I. Feed conversion and growth rate of the chickens in groups I and II were higher than in control. At the end of the experiment, the live body weight of chickens in groups I and II was higher than in the control by 5.7 (P<0.05) and 3.9% respectively. Yield of eviscerated carcass in both groups was higher than controls (P<0.05). The yield of the pectoral muscle was above in group II by 2.8% (P<0.05) compared with the control. It is recommended to add to the diet of broiler chickens 1 ml of Chlorella vulgaris suspensions per 1 kg of body weight with the aim to increase the growth rate, stimulate immune system and reduce feed costs.