Digestibility of feed nutrients and metabolic status in ducklings using “Immunoflor”

Relevance. To improve the productive potential of poultry, it is of great importance to improve the existing feeding and keeping technologies. Improvement of the biological completeness of diets is possible with the use of feed additives and preparations of natural origin. These include probiotics, which have a wide range of positive effects on the body due to improved metabolism, correction of immune status and microbiocenosis of the gastrointestinal tract.Methods. To conduct experiments from the daily ducklings of the “Blagovarsky” cross, four groups of 50 heads each were formed. The ducklings of the experimental groups were additionally fed with “Immunoflor”: poultry of the I experimental group at a dose of 0.5 kg per ton of feed, II and III groups — 0.7 kg and 1.0 kg, respectively. Three ducklings from each experimental group at the age of 45 days were evaluated for digestibility of feed nutrients, balance of nitrogen, calcium, phosphorus, as well as the chemical composition of feed and droppings according to zootechnical analysis methods. During this period, blood samples were taken for biochemical studies.Results. Inclusion of a probiotic drug in the poultry diet at doses of 0.5 kg, 0.7 kg and 1.0 kg per ton of feed contributed to an increase in the digestibility of raw protein by 0.84–0.88%, raw fat by 1.64–1.72%, raw fiber by 0.12–0.17%, BEV by 0.46–0.77%. Ducks from the control group were inferior to peers from the experimental group in the use of nitrogen by 0.51–0.99%, calcium by 0.76–1.80%, phosphorus by 1.62–2.08%, which had a positive effect on the state of protein and mineral metabolism in the bird fed probiotic. There was an increase in the amount of total protein, calcium and phosphorus in the blood.