Garlic-sugar liquid can be used as feed for broiler chickens
Currently, among the many poultry feed additives, antibacterial drugs and hormones account for a relatively large proportion. Long-term feeding of such additives not only leads to excessive drug residues in poultry meat and eggs, affecting the export qualification rate of products, but also harms people's health. Therefore, developing feed additives with no toxic side effects has become an issue that should be given attention in current broiler production. Garlic-sugar liquid is a green food feed additive with no toxic side effects, made by mixing mashed garlic with sugar solution in a certain proportion. It has strong palatability, can inhibit and kill some harmful bacteria in the stomach and intestines, can remove toxic substances from the intestinal tract and activate cells that protect the gastric mucosa, enhancing mucosal resistance, and can also aid digestion, improve gastrointestinal function, and increase feed utilization rate; meanwhile, garlic also contains the trace element selenium, which has a significant effect on preventing selenium deficiency in chickens and promoting chicken growth and development. At present, in China, garlic and sugar used as livestock and poultry feed additives are mostly added separately; however, detailed information on simultaneously adding these two mixed liquids to feed livestock and poultry has not been seen to date. From June to July 1998, we conducted a comparative feeding trial on broiler chickens raised by specialized households in Zaoyuan Town of this city, and obtained the following results.
I. Materials and Methods
1. Preparation of garlic-sugar liquid: Peeled garlic accounting for 2% of the daily ration was mashed into garlic paste using instruments, then the garlic paste was poured into pre-prepared 8% sucrose water accounting for 20% of the daily ration weight, fully stirred and soaked, and set aside after soaking for 1-2 hours.
2. Selection and grouping of experimental animals: This trial selected 24-day-old commercial AA broiler chickens raised by specialized household @#@230@#@ in Zaoyuan Town of this city. 300 healthy chickens from the same batch, of the same age, and with basically consistent body weight were selected and randomly divided into two groups, 150 chickens per group, with the same male-to-female ratio in both groups. The group with garlic-sugar liquid added to the daily ration was the experimental group, and the group without it was the control group. The daily rations of the two groups were the same, and the formula was: corn 60.7%, sorghum 6%, @#@245@#@ 6.8%, wheat bran 5%, soybean cake 10%, imported fish meal 10%, bone meal 1%, salt 0.3%, trace elements 0.2%, plus poultry multivitamins 0.01%; containing metabolizable energy 12.301 MJ/kg, crude protein 19.16%, calcium 0.913%, phosphorus 0.72%. After grouping, a 4-day preliminary trial was first conducted, along with weighing, immunization, deworming, feed transition, and adjustment of body weight between the two groups. After biostatistical data processing, the difference between the two groups was not significant P>0.05, and then the trial period began.
3. Trial time: From June 15 to 18, 1998, 4 days was the preliminary trial period; from June 19 to July 16, 28 days was the trial period.
4. Feeding management: The broiler chickens in both groups were kept in the same house, raised on the floor with thick litter, dry powder feed with garlic-sugar liquid added in the experimental group, fed 3 times a day, with free access to feed and water, feed measured without restriction, and daily cleaning and hygiene of the house maintained. During the trial period, a dedicated person was assigned to keep records of the experimental data and observe feed intake. After the trial ended, the daily weight gain, feed-to-weight ratio, and economic benefit analysis of the two groups were calculated separately.
II. Results and Analysis
1. Weight gain and feed consumption: The weight gain and feed consumption results of the two groups of broiler chickens during the whole trial period are shown in Table 1.
From the results in Table 1, it can be seen that during the trial period, the experimental group fed garlic-sugar liquid had an average daily weight gain of 47.7±3.6 grams, while the control group had 43.2±2.8 grams. By t-test, the difference between the two groups was significant P<0.05; the feed-to-weight ratio of the experimental group was 2.18:1, and the control group was 2.29:1, that is, for every 1 kilogram of body weight gain, the experimental group could save 0.11 kilograms of feed compared with the control group, increasing feed utilization rate by 4.8%, and the difference between the two groups was significant P<0.05. During the trial period, the broiler chickens in the experimental group showed preference for the feed, ate quickly, and had increased feed intake; the chicken manure excreted was normal, and no abnormal conditions occurred.
2. Economic benefits: The analysis results of the economic benefits of the two groups of trial broiler chickens are shown in Table 2. The results in Table 2 show that in the experimental group with garlic-sugar liquid added to the daily ration, each broiler chicken could obtain an average gross profit of 3.91 yuan during the whole trial period, while the control group was 3.48 yuan. The experimental group increased economic benefits by 12.4% compared with the control group, with obvious benefits.