Study environment
The Sheep Research Center of Faculty of Agronomy Sciences is located in the University of Abomey Calavi in the town of Abomey Calavi near Cotonou. The climate is of guinean type with two dry seasons (from November up to Match, July to September) and two rainy season (from Match up to July, September to November). The average rainfall is 1200 mm per year and the annual temperature ranges from 23°C to 30°C.
Plant materiel and powder obtained
The results of the phytochemical analyses of
Spondias mombin leaves realized by
Igwe (2008) showed the presence of saponins (4.80 ± 0.35%), alkaloids (3.40 ± 0.10%), flavonoids (2.80 ± 0.36%), tannins (1.47 ± 0.06%), oxalates (0.92 ± 0.09%), phytates (1.73 ± 0.19%) and cyanogenic glycosides (0.01 ± 0.00%).The same author showed that the leaves are rich in nutrients, especially total carbohydrate (68.92 ± 2.00%), moisture (15.13 ± 0.57%), crude protein (11.04 ± 0.71%), crude fibre (10.51 ± 0.84%) and crude fat (4.82 ± 0.34%).
For the experiment
, the leaves of
Spondias mombin were collected from Abomey calavi, in June 2011. The fresh leaves of
S. mombin are harvested, dried in the room at 22°C and then processed into powder using electric grinder. The dose of powder of plant (1420 mg/kg of body weight) administered is based on the quantity of leaves (100 g of fresh leaves) used by traditional healers in treatment the milk production deficiencies (
Akouedegni, 2013).
Galactin-vet is the trading lactogenic drug contains powders of
Leptadenia reticulata, Asparagus racemosus, Withania somnifera, Arundo donax, Cissampelos pareira, Foeniculum vulgare and extracts
of Eclipta alba and Solanum nigrum.
Management of animals
Twenty four (24) lactating WAD ewes (age 45 ± 6,2 months), in the 4
th lactating seasons and weighting an average 16.6 ± 0.62 kg were used in this experiment starting by two weeks before parturition and extended to 90 days after. Animals were housed at night and lambs were kept with their dams and remained with them until their weaning at three months of age. Ewes were divided into four groups (six animals each) and were assigned at random to receive one of four treatments using complete randomized block design. The treatments included: Control group: receiving 150 ml of water, Group Galactin: treatment with Galactin (administered orally, at a dose of 3 boli/animal once-a-day for 10 days at the beginning of lactation), Group single dose: receiving orally each day 1420 mg of powder of
S. mombin/kg of body weight diluted in 150 ml of water for 3 days at the beginning of lactation and Group double dose: receiving orally each day 2840 mg of powder of
S. mombin /kg of body weight diluted in 150 ml of water for 3 days at the beginning of lactation.
The animals were conducted on artificial pasture consisting of
Panicum maximum C1 from 11 AM to 17 PM (for 6 h). All animals were treated against internal and external parasites. They were also vaccinated annually against “Peste des Petits Ruminants” (PPR) and brucellosis. The ewes received extra cotton oil cake protein of 300 g per day and per animal. Occasionally by-products such as corn, rice straw and groundnut hay there were given to them. They also received mineral supplements in the form of licks and water
ad libitum throughout the trial period.
Data collection
For three months, milk production of ewes was estimated once every two weeks using a weigh-suckle-weigh (WSW) method (WSW: weighing before and after suckling). The lambs were isolated from their mothers at 18 h pm. The next morning, the lambs were weighed and then returned to their mothers and allowed to feed for 1 h. After feeding, the lambs were reweighed anew. The lambs were then left to the pens and the ewes were then sent to pasture. Back from the pasture, the WSW method was used again to assess the amount of milk suckled by the lamb during the day. The sum of the first and second daily milk suckled gave an estimate of the amount of milk suckled per day per lamb and the total milk production of individual lactations was calculated from birth to weaning.
The body weight of lambs was followed by weighing. The birth weight of lambs was recorded. Every two weeks, the lambs were weighed before feeding in the morning. Average daily gain (ADG) of lambs was calculated to compare the growth of lambs between groups. The body weight of ewes was also measured once a month. Body weight gain of lamb and suckled milk are typically used to measure milk efficiency calculating milk conversion lamb (MCL).
Blood sampling and analysis
Blood samples were collected from the jugular vein from the animals within all groups (before birth, day of birth and 12 days after birth). The blood samples were directly collected into clean dried glass culture tubes and centrifuged. Serum prolactin levels were estimated by vidas using vidas kits provided by Biomerieux (France). The assay principle of vidas prolactin is an automated quantitative test for use on the mini vidas instruments, for the enzyme Immunoassay using ELFA technique (Enzyme linked fluorescent Assay).
Statistical analyzes: The means and standard errors of the means of milk production, prolactin level as well as those of ADG were determined. Statistical analysis of the differences between mean values obtained for treatments was performed using Minitab. Data were subjected to one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Tukey- Kramer multiple comparison test. In all cases,
p values £ 0.05 were regarded as statistical significance.
