Indian Journal of Animal Research

  • Chief EditorK.M.L. Pathak

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Indian Journal of Animal Research, volume 51 issue 6 (december 2017) : 1086-1090

Impact of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) supplementation on the performance of Beetal kids under stall-fed conditions

M. Singla, A.L. Saini, Chandrahas, N.D Singh, P. Kaur, A. Sharma
1<p>Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University,&nbsp;Ludhiana-141004, India</p>
Cite article:- Singla M., Saini A.L., Chandrahas, Singh N.D, Kaur P., Sharma A. (2017). Impact of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) supplementation on the performance of Beetal kids under stall-fed conditions . Indian Journal of Animal Research. 51(6): 1086-1090. doi: 10.18805/ijar.v0iOF.7807.

Eighteen kids of both sexes in equal number with age of 5-6 months and having average body weight of 15.29±0.33 kg were randomly distributed into three groups to evaluate the effect of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) supplementation on the performance of Beetal kids under stall-fed conditions. The kids of T1 and T2 group were orally supplemented with W. somnifera for 90 days at the dose rate of 100 and 200 mg/kg BW, respectively. The group without any supplementation was treated as control (T0). All other management practices were similar in the three groups. The mean temperature humidity index (THI) during the study period was 77.85±0.57. The overall average daily gain (ADG) was significantly (P<0.05) higher in T1 (53.70±4.75 g/day) and T2 (59.63±7.93 g/day) over the control (35.74±4.08 g/day) group. Daily feed intake was not affected due to Ashwagandha supplementation among various treatment groups. Various blood biochemical profiles like haemoglobin, TLC, neutrophils, lymphocytes were within the normal physiological limits. The faecal OPG (oocyte per gram) showed non-significantly declining trend in T1 and T2 over T0. It was concluded that Ashwagandha (W. Somnifera) supplementation had potential to improve the growth performance of Beetal kids under stall-fed conditions without any adverse effect on health. 


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