Growth, morphostructural and haematological performances of West African Dwarf male sheep fed garlic powder additive diets

Abstract

An experiment was carried out to investigate the additive effect of garlic powder on growth, morphostructural and haematology of West African Dwarf (WAD) rams fed Panicum maximum basal diet supplemented with concentrate. Forty Yearling WAD rams with average initial live weight of 12.41kg were randomly allotted to five dietary treatments of garlic powder additive (GPA) at 0%, 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6% and 0.8% (0 mg/kg, 2000 mg/kg, 4000 mg/ kg, 6000mg/kg and 8000mg/kg respectively) of the supplements for 12 weeks. Results revealed that inclusion of 4000 mg/kg garlic powder additive in experimental diets showed better weight gain and feed conversion ratio for WAD rams than the control (0% GPA) and the other treatments (P<0.05). The morphometric measurements gains correlate with the pattern of body weight gain reported in the treatment groups. Haematological findings showed better packed cell volume in animals fed GPA compared with the control (P<0.05) . However, all investigated haematological parameters had values within normal limits for healthy sheep. Addition of garlic powder to sheep diet improved body weight gain up to 4000mg/kg of supplemental diet while also enhancing the health status of the animals.