EFFECTS OF HERBAL MIX AND WEIGHT ASYMMETRY ON NUTRIENT DIGESTIBILITY, NITROGEN BALANCE AND BOWEL TRANSIT TIME OF GROWING PIGS
Keywords:
Feed additives, weight, transit time, moringa, neem, nutrient digestibilityAbstract
Integrating herbs into livestock farming aligns with the global goals of sustainable livestock production, animal welfare and consumer health. This study investigated the nutrient digestibility, nitrogen balance and bowel transit time of pigs with different herbal mixes and weight asymmetry. Fifty-four (54) Large White pigs with mean weight of 15.33±0.2 kg, were assigned to nine treatments in a 3 x 3 factorial layout with each treatment consisting of three replicates of two pigs each. The pigs composed of three weight groups (homogenous light, homogenous heavy and heterogeneous weights) fed diets of different herbal mixes of leaf meals (no herbal mix, moringa-basil and neem-basil leaf meals). The ratio of the mixture of moringa or neem to basil leaves was 5:1. Bowel transit time data were obtained twice per week throughout the study duration. On the 12th week of the study, three pigs were selected from each treatment i.e., 1 pig per replicate and arranged in a clean disinfected metal metabolic cage. A 7-day adaptation period followed a 5-day period of quantification of feed intake, excreted faeces and urine. Data generated were subjected to a 2-way analysis of variance in a 3x3 experimental layout. Nutrient digestibility parameters except ash contents were not influenced (p>0.05) by the herbal mixes except ash contents. However, nitrogen intake, digestion and retention were significantly (p<0.05) influenced by dietary inclusion of herbal mix in the ration of growing pigs. The nutrient digestibility and nitrogen balance parameters of pigs were not influenced by weight asymmetry except faecal nitrogen. Herbal mix can be included in the ration of pigs in order to boost dietary mineral digestibility and nitrogen retentions.
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