Growth performance, apparent digestibility, and N balance in Mongolian lambs and hoggs fed diets supplemented with a Chinese traditional herbal medicine complex

Animal Science Journal = Nihon Chikusan Gakkaihō
Zhumei DuYimin Cai

Abstract

We evaluated the effects of dietary supplementation with Chinese traditional herbal medicine (CTHM) on the growth performance, apparent digestibility, and nitrogen balance in Mongolian lambs and hoggs. The CTHM used as a dietary supplement consisted of 30% pine needles, 20% mugwort, 40% garlic, and 10% Astragalus mongholicus on a dry matter (DM) basis. The basal diet was prepared from corn stover, corn grain, wheat bran, rapeseed meal, shell meal, dicalcium phosphate, salt, vitamin premix, and mineral premix. In total, 16 Mongolian lambs (20.75 kg initial body weight [BW]) and 16 hoggs (33.81 kg initial BW) were allocated randomly to one of two treatments, the basal diet without and with CTHM, with the group receiving CTHM fed 98.5% basal diet + 1.5% CTHM complex on a DM basis. Lamb and hogg growth trials showed that CTHM supplementation improved the final live weight, gain, and feed conversion ratio (p < 0.01). A digestibility trial showed that the diet with CTHM improved the digestibility of DM, organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), and neutral detergent fiber in lambs and hoggs. Finally, CTHM supplementation decreased (p < 0.0001) fecal and urinary nitrogen and increased (p = 0.0004) nitrogen (N) retention. Overall, the a...Continue Reading

References

Nov 25, 2011·Animal Science Journal = Nihon Chikusan Gakkaihō·Hui Shuang YehTu Fa Lien
Jun 6, 2014·Animal : an International Journal of Animal Bioscience·N SalahH Archimède
Feb 12, 2017·Animal Science Journal = Nihon Chikusan Gakkaihō·Wisitiporn SuksombatPipat Lounglawan
Aug 24, 2017·The American Journal of Chinese Medicine·Yan QiChunping Wan
Oct 8, 2017·Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition·X LiangH Sano

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Birth Defects

Birth defects encompass structural and functional alterations that occur during embryonic or fetal development and are present since birth. The cause may be genetic, environmental or unknown and can result in physical and/or mental impairment. Here is the latest research on birth defects.