The present study was aimed to compare the effect of two mixtures of medicinal plants as feed additives on the lamb's performance. The first additive consisted of a 1:1:1 Rosemary, Thyme, and Peppermint mixture (RTPM). While, the second additive consisted of a 1:1:1 Lemongrass, Parsley, and Coriander mixture (LPCM). Twelve male Saidi lambs of 20.49 ± 0.76 kg body weight (BW) were randomly allocated into three groups. The first group received a control diet (concentrate-to-forage ratio: 70:30) without additives, the second group received a control diet supplemented with 1.5% RTPM on a dry matter (DM) basis, and the third group received control diet supplemented with 1.5% LPCM on a DM basis. The experiment lasted for 150 days. The results showed that RTPM had lowered DMI (P = 0.0692) while the LPCM had higher DMI as compared the to control. The supplementation of RTPM or LPCM did not have a significant effect on nutrients digestibility and their nutritive value. Similarly, ruminal pH, ruminal temperature and total volatile fatty acid (TVFA) were not affected (P > 0.05) by RTPM or LPCM, while ammonia-N (P = 0.0043), and total nitrogen (P < 0.0001) were higher for RTPM and LPCM than Control. The average daily gain (ADG), total weight gains (TWG), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) of the lambs receiving RTPM or LPCM rations were greater (P ≤ 0.0057) than the control diet. The economic efficiency was improved by the RTPM addition (P < 0.0001) while the LPCM diet decreased economic efficiency compared to the control.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.