Effect of addition of "Greenline" preparations to feed mixtures for broilers on the composition of their intestinal microflora.

The current study deals with the possibility of replacing the antibiotic growth stimulator avilamycin, a mixture of oligosaccharides of the orthosomycin group, with the herbal preparations Greenline 1 and 2. The microbiological part of the study embraced examination of the intestinal microflora of broilers. The birds in the study belonged to four experimental groups, distinguished on the basis of feed supplements used. For the microbiological determination five birds from each group were selected at random and the contents of their small intestine was examined for given groups of microorganisms. The remaining birds in each group were examined and evaluated on the basis of zootechnical indices. Our results suggest that Greenline 1 efficiently eliminates certain pathogenic bacteria, above all lactose-positive bacteria belonging to the family Enterobacteriaceae and Staphylococci. It seems that the presence of Greenline 1 in the feed mix used enhances the colonisation of the mucous membrane of the studied chicken with Lactobacillus lactic acid bacteria. This is indicated by the considerably higher number of these bacteria in the small intestine of the birds receiving the supplement Greenline 1.