Effect of Wild Chamomile Extracts on the Complex of Economic Benefits of Rabbit Meat

Introduction. Nutrition has a great effect on the quality of life and longevity. Modern food industry pays much attention to the issue of obtaining high-quality and safe livestock products grown without feed antibiotics. The research objective was to study the effect of chamomile extract on a complex of economically useful traits of young rabbits and the qualitative characteristics of meat, as well as to determine the optimal dosage of chamomile extract. Study objects and methods. The experimental research was carried out on the animal farm of the Kuzbass State Agricultural Academy in 2018. Five experimental groups and one control group of young Californian rabbits were formed according to the principle of analogue pairs. Each group included 10 rabbits. From 70-day age, the animals of the experimental group I were supplemented with a phytobiotic feed additive based on wild chamomile extract at a dose of 0.5 g per rabbit per day. In experimental group II, each rabbit received 1 g per day; in experimental group III, it was 1.5 g per rabbit per day; in experimental group IV – 2.0 g per rabbit per day; in experimental group V – 2.5 g per head per day. The experiment lasted 30 days. Results and discussion. The best result was achieved in experimental group II. In the experimental groups, the rabbits demonstrated an increase in hemoglobin. The use of phytobiotic feed additives in the diet did not cause any pathological changes in internal organs. The average live weight at the end of the experiment, compared with the control group, was higher: experimental group I – by 0.82%, experimental group II – by 6.96%, experimental group III – by 5.01%, experimental group IV – by 3.73%, experimental group V – by 2.80% (P ˃ 0.01). An analysis of the chemical composition of rabbit meat after the experiment showed that the water content in the rabbit meat ranged from 76 to 77%, which suggests high water-holding properties. The high dietary qualities of the rabbit meat depended on the content of protein (20–22 wt%) and the low fat content (5–7%). These data make it possible to promote rabbit meat for dietary products. Conclusion. According to the slaughter indicators and the phytobiotic feed additives parameters of meat, the optimal dose of phytobiotic feed additives is 1 g per head per day.