EVALUATION OF AN HERBAL FEED SUPPLEMENT (ANIMUNIN POWDER®) IN NURSING LAMBS FOR GROWTH AND HEALTH

Enteric and respiratory infections cause lamb death during and after weaning, resulting in economic losses in intensive ovine production systems. These infections have been treated with antibiotics, but their inadequate use has resulted in bacterial resistance. Plant-derived secondary metabolites can be used as an alternative to antibiotics in lambs. We hypothesized that Animunin could improve lamb performance and immunological response during and after weaning. The objective of this study was to see how Animunin supplementation affected the profile of blood metabolites related to health status and weight changes in nursing lambs. The experimental design was completely randomized, with treatments consisting of supplementation with Animunin gel caps at doses of 0.0, 0.25, 0.50, and 1.0 g d-1 for 60 d. Treatments were assigned at random to 40 male Hampshire x Suffolk nursing lambs (initial body weight (IBW) 10.8±2.6 kg, 25 d old). Weight at weaning (WW) was determined on day 83±2. During lactation, the lambs were offered pre-starter feed and water ad libitum, in addition to nursing. SAS GLM procedure was used to analyze the data. The level of polyherbal mixture had no effect on most blood components. However, as the dose of Animunin in the gel caps increased, glucose, urea, and creatinine levels decreased. In contrast, the levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in the blood of lambs given the 1 g dose increased by 39.4 and 45.9 %, respectively, compared to lambs given 0 g. The final body weight and daily gain were not affected (p > 0.05). In conclusion, the phytogenic Animunin had hypoglycemic effects while having no affecting lamb growth.