Abstract

The paper examines the effects of garlic (Allium sativum L.) and Cu separately as well as their combined effects on the production parameters and carcass quality in broiler chicks. Garlic has antimicrobial, antihypertensive and antioxidative properties, while high copper levels in feed (100 ppm) displays stimulating and bacterial effects, which may be an alternative to antibiotics whose use is prohibited by the EU. Bearing in mind the aforementioned, the objective of this study was to prove the effects of garlic in broiler feed on production parameters, health status and carcass quality. The testing was carried out under production conditions with one-day-old Hubbard broilers of the same weight divided in 4 groups, each consisting of 75 birds, in 4 repetitions. Treatment groups were given: 2% of commercial garlic in group II, 2% garlic and 100 ppm Cu in group III, and 100 ppm Cu in group IV. At the end of the experiment which lasted 42 days it was found that the addition of garlic led to a significant (P < 0.05) increase of  body mass in group II (2055.55 g) and group III (2038.65 g) in comparison to the control group (1964.52 g). The feed exploitation was found to be better in groups treated with garlic.

Key words:  Garlic, copper, broilers, production parameters, carcass quality.