THE EFFECT OF ANTIMICROBIAL FEED ADDITIVE S AND ANTICOCCIDICS SUPPLEMENTATION ON NUTRIENT DIGESTIBILITY, PERFORMANCE AND HEALTH OF BROILER RABBITS

The objective of the paper was to determine the effect of antimicrobia l feed additives and anticoccidics on nutrient digestibility, performa nce and health of broiler rabbits. The effect of nitrovin and virginia mycin at a dose of 30 mg/kg of feed and/or granular feed mixture was d etermined in a metabolic trial. The trial was conducted on 24 rabbits of the hybrid Hyla 2000 between the 33rd and 91st day of their age. A supplement of 30 mg of the active ingredient of nitrovin and virginiam ycin had positive effects on the basic characteristics of broiler prod uction. Both additives insignificantly increased fiber digestibility. No coccidiostatic effect of the used additives was observed. The cocci diostatics robenidin, diclazuril and salinomycin were compared in anot her trial. Control group comprised eight rabbits, experimental groups had six rabbits each. The group of rabbits receiving salinomycin showe d insignificantly higher weight gains and better feed conversion in co mparison with the other groups, Tab. V. The coccidiostatics did not ha ve any significant effects on nutrient digestibility, except ash. Howe ver, a trend of lower values of digestibility was observed in diclazur il (Tab. VI). Salinomycin application reduced fiber digestibility. Thi s finding is in agreement with a theoretical statement that ionophores inhibit gram-positive cellulolytic bacteria. Tab. VII shows data on t he number of infected rabbits in control and experimental groups. All control rabbits were infected with coccidia in the second experimental week. All the tested coccidiostatics suppressed the infection in an e xpressive way. The comparative trial of the three coccidiostatics show ed that salinomycin was better than diclazuril and robenidin. Salinomy cin in fact eliminated not only eimeria but also cryptosporidia.