Haemato-Biochemical Characteristics of West African Dwarf Sheep Fed Diet Containing Selected Herbal and Spice Additives
Keywords:
Blood, Haematology, Herbs, Serum biochemical assay, SheepAbstract
A six-week feeding trial was conducted to investigate the effects of diets containing selected herbs and spices on the haematological and serum biochemical parameters of West African Dwarf (WAD) ewes. Seven diets were formulated, six of which contained 10 g levels of inclusion of each herb and spice. Twenty-one 18-month-old WAD ewes were randomly assigned to 7 treatments: Control (no additive) (T1), Neem (Azadirachta indica) leaf (T2), Drumstick (Moringa oleifera) leaf (T3), Scent (Ocimum gratissimum) leaf (T4), Garlic (Allium sativum) clove (T5), Ginger (Zingiber officinale) root (T6), and Onion (Allium cepa) leaf (T7). Each treatment consisted of 3 sheep in a completely randomized design. On Day 0 (pre-treatment period), only monocyte counts were higher in T3 sheep than in T7 sheep. On Day 14 of the feeding trial, sheep fed T6 had significantly higher albumin level (P < 0.05) than those in other treatments, while creatinine levels were lowest in those fed T5. On Day 42 (end of the feeding trial), MCH (mean corpuscular haemoglobin), MCV (mean corpuscular volume), RBC (red blood cell count) and WBC (white blood cell count) varied significantly (P < 0.05). The highest MCV and MCH values were recorded in T2, while the lowest values were records in T1. RBC counts were highest in T6 and lowest in T2. The results of the study revealed that dietary supplementation with the tested herbs and spices at 10 g/kg of feed did not adversely affect the haematological and serum biochemical profiles of the sheep. The significant differences observed in some haematological and serum biochemical indices suggest the influence of the bioactive compounds present in each herb and their effects on blood profile indices in the sheep.
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