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The aims of this work were to summarize the nutritional value of the milk thistle seed cakes and hempseed cakes and describe the influence on selected performance parameters, metabolism and animal health from inclusion of these non-traditional feeds into diets. It seems more appropriate to apply the extract of the bioactive substances complex to the livestock diets than addition of expellers or other forms of plants processing. The seed expellers, etc. mostly worsened the chickens’ performance parameters with higher doses in diets, while most of the work using the extract yields had positive results on animal performance.

The study is focused on how the physical structure of the feed affects the health status of broiler chickens. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of feed particle size in broiler diets on gastrointestinal tract morphology, digesta viscosity, and blood biochemical parameters. A total of 90 one-day-old male Ross 308 broiler chickens were randomly divided into three different experimental groups (with five replicates per pen), with 6 birds per cage. The first experimental group (Coarse) was fed with the coarsest particle size, with feed with a geometric mean diameter (GMD) of 1111.26 µm, the next group (Medium) was fed with a less coarse feed size of GMD 959.89 µm, and the last group (Fine) was fed a diet with a fine feed particle size of GMD 730.48 µm. The use of coarse feed particle size in the diet had a positive effect on the gizzard weight and small intestinal villi height and crypt depth, which increased the surface area intended for digesting nutrients. The use of finely ground particles in the feed increased the level of gamma-glutamyl transferase and at the same time, decreased the level of urea, which could indicate adverse changes in the liver.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of feeding hempseed expellers in a feed mixture on the quality indicators of broiler chicken’s meat. One hundred and fifty Ross 308 hybrid cockerels were used in the present study. The control group (HS0) was fed without hempseed expellers; the other two groups received diets containing 50 g·kg ^-1 and 150 g·kg ^-1 of hempseed expellers (HS5 and HS15, respectively). The birds were slaughtered at the age of 37 days, and samples of breast and thigh muscles were collected for determination of proximate chemical composition and technological properties, and sensory analyses. Feeding with hempseed expellers influenced the colour of meat with a significant difference observed for a* (redness) and b* (yellowness) values in the HS15 group. The colour of breast meat in HS15 group is more intense compared to HS5 and HS0 groups. Breast meat was evaluated as the best in terms of odour for HS15 group compared to HS0. The colour of thigh meat was better rated in the HSE supplemented groups compared to the controls. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with hempseed expellers appears to affect the colour and odour of broiler chicken’s meat which is positive for the consumers. Including hempseed cakes can be recommended as a component of broiler chicken’s feed.

The main objective of this study was to verify the safety of mealworm meal in the feed of laying hens from 17 to 42 weeks of age. Therefore, the feed mixtures were tested in terms of microbiological stability, fungal and mycotoxin content and selected parameters of hens’ intestinal morphology and physiology were monitored. The experiment was carried out with 30 Lohmann Brown Classic hens. Hens were divided by body mass into three equal groups with 10 replicates per treatment. The two experimental groups received feed mixtures containing 2% and 5% yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor L.) meal. The third group was a control group which had 0% of mealworm meal in the diet. Diets with 2% and 5% of mealworm meals did not affect the length of villi and microbiome of the caecum. The highest digesta viscosity from the ileum was found in the group with 5% mealworm, which may indicate a slower passage of the digesta through the digestive tract. Based on our results, it may be concluded that the proportion of mealworm meals does not deteriorate the quality of feeds. Mealworm meal does not negatively affect microbial stability in experimental feeds. Therefore, it can be recommended the two and (or) five percent of mealworm meal inclusion in hen’s diet.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of feeding milk thistle (Silybum marianum L.) seed cakes at dose 5% and 15% in feed mixture on quality indicators of broiler chickens meat. The used milk thistle seed cakes contained 3.73% of flavonolignans and 129.83 mg.kg-1 of cyanidin-3-glucoside. A 150 cockerels of Ross 308 were divided into three equal groups. The chickens were fattened on conventional deep litter system. The experimental groups received feed mixtures containing 5% of milk thistle seed cakes (MT5), 15% of milk thistle seed cakes (MT15) and third group was control - without milk thistle seed cakes (C). The trial lasted 37 days. At the end of trial was observed significant higher average weight of chickens (2,320.31 g) in control group. Compare to that the experimental group MT5 achieved significant lower mean bodyweight 2,166.69 g. From the perspective of fattening was decreased growth of chickens where a higher percentage of milk thistle seed cakes (MT15). The group MT15 was up to 420 g lower slaughter weight compared to the control group. This was probably due to the higher content of fiber in the feed. At the end of experiment 15 birds were selected randomly from each group, weighed and slaughtered. Feathers were removed and chickens were eviscerated. Carcass yield was calculated for each group like as percentage of live weight. The MT5 and MT15 group had significantly higher breast meat tenderness that the control group. Initial pH1 was highest in group with its middle addition of milk thistle seed cakes (MT5). Significant differences were not observed between control and group MT15. Breast meat was rated as the best in parameter flavour in control and MT15 group. The thigh meat was evaluated significantly best for colour parameter in MT15 group. Fibreness was rated as the finest in MT15 group. The addition of milk thistle seed cakes do not worsened sensory characteristic of breast or thigh meat of broilers and reflects optimal sensory quality traits.