Effect of supplementation with Nigella sativa seeds on nutritive values and growth performance of ossimi sheep [electronic resource].

Includes references.

Two experiments were carried out, the first was a digestibility trial on 9 Ossimi male rams divided into 3 equal groups; control which fed basal diet formed of 75% concentrate mixture and 25%wheat straw, the second group (T1) was fed the basal diet plus 100 mg Nigella Sativa seeds /kg body weight/ day, while the third group was fed on basal diet plus 200 mg Nigella Sativa seeds /kg body weight/day. Digestibility coefficients of different nutrients and nutritive values of the tested experimental rations were determined. The results indicated that digestibility values of dry matter (DM), ether extract (EE), and nitrogen free extract (NFE) increased (P<0.01) as a result of Nigella Sativa seeds supplementation in T1 and T2 compared to the control. Also, results illustrated that values of total digestible nutrients (TDN), metabolisable energy (ME) and digestible crud protein (DCP) recorded significant (P<0.01) increase in T1 and T2 compared to the control. The second experiment included 15 Ossimi male lambs assigned randomly into three equal groups; control, T1 and T2 which fed the same above.

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