The present article presents data on effectiveness of adding a phytobiotic feed additive into the diet of broiler chickens, either additionally or replacing the feed antibiotic in the chicken fodder. It has been established that the introduction of a phytobiotic feed additive into the broilers’ diet, both additionally and by replacing the feed antibiotic, provided positive effect on poultry meat quality and gave no negative effect on development of internal organs. By the end of fattening the relative weight of heart, lungs, kidneys, gizzard and intestines in broilers, which consumed the antibiotics-free diet with addition of researched preparation, was higher than in the control group and in the 1st experimental group. At the same time the length of the intestine in researched group significantly exceeded the control group parameters. These changes ranged within the physiological norm, which may indicate the best detoxification capabilities of the chicken body and the activation of enhanced intestinal absorption function. Additional use of the experimental feed additive in formulation of feed for broiler chickens was accompanied by a decrease in total amount of amino acids in broilers’ pectoral and leg muscles within acceptable physiological limits. At the same time, a significant decrease, compared with the control parameters, was noted in relation to content of histidine and isoleucine in pectoral muscles, and content of proline in leg muscles. The use of the researched additive as a substitute for a feed antibiotic in composition of mixed feed for broilers decreased the total amount of amino acids in broilers’ breast muscle, compared with the control group, and increased level of amino acids in leg muscles. The significant decrease in content of histidine and arginine in the pectoral muscles and proline in the leg muscles was noted. The observed changes varied within acceptable physiological norm. In the experimental groups the energy value of meat was increased.

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The study is aimed at studying the indices of the digestibility of nutrients in broiler chickens' diet and morphohistological changes in the duodenum and pancreas with additional administration and when replacing the feed antibiotic in the feed for a complex preparation, including phytoextracts, essential oils and protected organic acids. The study is based on the methods of industrial testing of the effectiveness of feed and commercial products in accordance with the methods of the Federal Research Center "VNITIP" RAS (2013). For calculations, the method of variation statistics is used with the use of the PC “Microsoft Excel”. The assessment of the statistical significance of differences between groups was carried out using the Student's t-test. Results. It was found that the tested feed additive, which includes essential oils, protected organic acids, and hot pepper extract, promoted an increase in the digestion of fiber and fat by broiler chickens. The morphohistological study has shown that the processes of food digestion during the active work of the pancreas create conditions for the normal life of the bird without the manifestation of pathological processes. Scientific novelty of the work. Recently, the use of antibiotic drugs has been widely discussed in scientific circles and in the general press, shaping public opinion. There has been a significant increase in the number of publications dealing with the use of alternative antibiotics additives that promote the growth of poultry, enhance the immune response. Under these conditions, for the first time in a comparative study, the reserves of increasing the productive qualities of poultry were substantiated due to the use in the composition of compound feed in addition and instead of feed antibiotics additives, including phytoextracts, essential oils and protected organic acids. Namely, new data were obtained on the influence of the studied feed factor on the digestibility and use of nutrients of feed, the morphohistological state of the duodenum and pancreas.

This research is devoted to studying the safety of livestock, live weight, mass of internal organs and morphohistological changes in the immune organs of broiler-type chicken when substituting antibiotic feed supplements in the diet and in combination with antibiotic growth stimulants, a feed additive including essential oils, protected organic acids (fumaric acid, sorbic acid, DL-malic acid, citric acid), and hot pepper extract. The experimental procedure was conducted at the production conditions of “Ptitsefabrika “Sredneuralskaya” OOO in broiler-type chicken “Ross 308” under the guidelines of the Federal Research Center “VNITIP” of the Russian Academy of Sciences (2013). Having conducted research, the positive effect of a complex preparation based on phytoextracts on the liveability of broiler-type chicken, their live weight, and on the development of the immune organs was determined.

Russian and foreign scientists and farmers have found that the use of feed antibiotics for prevention purposes is unjustifi ed and can have a negative impact on the immunity of a man who uses poultry products containing an excessive amount of such drugs in his diet. Of great scientific and practical importance is the development and justifi cation of the use of new approaches in poultry the physiological state, productivity, and quality of meat products of broiler chickens when replacing feed antibiotics in their diet with new, alternative drugs Safmannan and Immunosan containing oligosaccharides of dried cell walls of inactivated yeast Saccharomyces Cerevisiae. The purpose of the research was to evaluate the feeding of broiler chickens using drugs based on oligosaccharides. The inclusion of Safmannan and Immunosan drugs in the compound feed instead of feed antibiotics allowed to increase: the digestibility of dry matter in the body of broiler chickens by 4,3 and 5,1 abs.%, the digestibility of raw fat by 9,5 and 13,2 abs.%, the amount of metabolic energy by 3,1 and 3,8 %, the use of nitrogen – by 8,4 and 3,2 abs.%, the use of calcium by 20,0 and 23,6 abs.%, respectively, compared with the control. The use of Safmannan and Immunosan drugs was accompanied by the increase in live weight in broiler cocks by 1,3 and 0,06 % by the end of fattening, in broiler chickens by 3,4 (p < 0,05) and 0,1 %; the increase in the slaughter yield of the gutted carcass by 2,3 and 2,0 abs.%, the number of muscles in the carcass by 8,1 and 10,2 abs.%, respectively. The level of profi tability of meat production of broiler chickens in the group where Safmannan was fed instead of feed antibiotics exceeded the base variant by 6,8 abs.%, and in the group of broiler chickens fed Immunosan, it was inferior to the base value by 3,4 abs.%, while corresponding to the level of profi tability at the poultry farm (39–40 %).