Development of the poultry farming requires the development of scientifically reasonable approaches for increasing a productivity of agricultural poultry.

One of the basic measures for successful management of the branch is providing poultry with high nutrient feeds. The use of additives such as microelements in the poultry rations has gained significance nowadays. The norms of additives of microelements are looked upon periodically, and its list is completed taking into account the new achievements of science and practice. One of such elements is lithium.

In the modern times lithium has been used in the diet of the poultry for enhancing the resistivity against the negative effect of stresses and activity of antioxidant system and for improvement of the quantity and quality. Thus the necessity of scientific research for the introduction of the lithium optimal dose into the poultry diet has become apparent.

The aim of our research is to study the influence of lithium additives different doses in to the mixed fodder for meat goslings on their productive qualities and its efficiency. The groups were formed of one-day goslings on the principle of analogues, taking into account living mass, origin and physiology (mobility, state of umbilical cord and plumage) for scientific observation. Feeding of poultry during the experiment was done with dry full diet mixed fodder according to existing norms. Goslings of the control group did not get the additives of lithium in the feeds. The goslings of the experimental groups got different amounts of lithium in the mixed fodder.

The results provide an evidence that the introduction of lithium additives to the mixed fodder has a substantial influence on the growth of goslings. The live weight of poultry in the experimental groups has exceeded the live weight of poultry in the control group.

The best result was observed in the goslings of the second experimental group (4476,4 g). A difference in comparison with the control group was 2,1 % and was statistically reliable (Р>0,95). Increasing the level of lithium in the ration gave a tendency for this index to decline, goslings of the third and fourth experimental groups had less live weight in comparison with the live weight of the same age goslings from the second group. However, they exceeded the control group by 2,0 and 1,5 % accordingly.

Comparing the indexes of average daily increase of goslings weight the difference between the control group and the second experimental group was 2,1 % (1,3 g) in favor of the last one. The indexes of the third and fourth experimental groups were higher consequently by 2,0 % (1,2 g) and by 1,6 % (1,0 g). It is defined that all doses of lithium added to the ration favored to the increase of goslings survival in experimental groups by 1,0–3,0 % comparing with the control group where the analogical index was defined as 94,0 %. The best gosling survival is marked in the second experimental group (97,0 %).

The increase of the feed use efficiency is one of the most important indexes based on addition of lithium in the feeds. No essential difference in an average daily consumption of feeds by poultry was marked that was defined as 231,1 g for one gosling in the control group; 232,0 g in the second group; 231,3 g in the third and 231,8 g in the fourth groups.

At the same time the difference in the value of absolute growth with practically identical amount of used feed led to the higher efficiency of the use of mixed fodder that contained lithium additives. The poultry of the second experimental group used 3,61 kg, the third one used 3,62 kg and the fourth one used 3,64 kg for 1 kg increase of live weight that consequently was less than in the control group by 2,2 %, 1,9 and by 1,4 %.

With the aim of complex evaluation of goslings productive qualities grown for meat the European Index of the Efficiency of Production (EIEP) was applied. The results of calculations gave an opportunity to certify the growth of the EIEP value in the experimental groups in comparison with the control group where an analogical index was 159,5 units. In the second experimental group the value of this index rose by 12,3 units, in the third and the fourth group it rose for 8,1 units.

Summarizing the results of the scientific economic experiment it is necessary to mark that goslings fed during the period of growing with the mixed fodder, enriched by lithium in the quantity of 0,15 mg/kg had the best productive qualities.

Key words: goslings, meat goslings, lithium, mixed fodder, dose, live weight, survival.