Intestinal Morphology Broiler Chickens Supplemented with Propolis
Öz
The small intestine is an
important organ responsible for digestion and absorption of nutrients from food1.
Studies have demonstrated that certain bee products, such as propolis
positively affect the small intestine villi making them longer and thicker,
which has beneficial effect on the absorption of nutrients from food and
consequently performance parameters of fattening chickens2,3. The
aim of this study was to determine the influence of dietary supplementation of
propolis on the intestinal morphology in broiler chickens. This experimental
study was conducted on 120 Ross 308 broiler chickens of equally distributed
sex, which were randomly divided into three groups: control group (C) and two
experimental groups (P1 and P2). Throughout the whole study (for 42 days) the
control group of chickens was fed feed mixture while feed mixture that was fed
to the experimental groups of chickens contained propolis in amount of 0,5 g/kg
(P1 group) and 1,0 g/kg of feed mixture (P2 group). The duodenal villi of
chickens from the experimental groups were significantly higher in comparison
to the duodenal villi of chickens from the control group (p=0.034) while there
were no statistically significant differences in width of villi’s base and peak
between the groups (p=0.114 and p=0.145, respectively). The duodenal villi
crypts of chickens from the experimental groups were significantly wider
(p=0.001) and deeper (p<0.001) in comparison to those parameters in chickens
from the control group on the 42nd day of fattening. Addition of
propolis to feed mixtures has significant protective effect on the gut tissue
of chickens.
Anahtar Kelimeler
Propolis,Broiler Chickens