Vol. 7, Issue 6 (2018)

Author(s):
Jyotsana, RS Berwal, Sube Singh, Sandeep Chhikara, Nancy Sheoran, BS Tewatia and NS Maan

Abstract:
A total of 300, one day-old commercial broiler chicks were procured and randomly distributed into 30 subgroups means six dietary treatments with five replicates per treatment and each replicate has ten birds. Feeding trial was conducted for 42 days. The control group (T₁) was offered maize- soybean meal based diet which was formulated as per BIS (2007) ^[7] to fulfill the metabolizable energy (ME) and crude protein requirements of broilers. The first group was kept as a control (T₁) and given the basal diet without antibiotic while second (T₂) basal diet with antibiotic, third (T₃), fourth (T₄), fifth (T₅) and sixth (T₆) groups were supplemented with Ashwagandha root powder @ 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1%, respectively in the diet. Feed intake (g/bird) and body weight gain (g/b) showed significant (P<0.05) increase as the level of Ashwagansha root powder inclusion increases. Over all the feed intake and body weight gain was found significantly (P<0.05) highest in 1.0% (T₆) Ashwagandha supplemented group followed by 0.75% (T₅), 0.50% (T₄) Ashwagandha supplemented groups as compared to 0.25% (T₃), antibiotic (T₂) supplemented group and control group. Feed conversion ratio was found significantly lowest in 0.75% and 1% Ashwagandha supplemented groups as compared to control group. The feed conversion efficiency was improved as level of Ashwagandha root powder increased. Dietary supplementation at the rate of 0.75% and 1% Ashwagandha powder results in significantly (P<0.05) higher DM metabolizability, nitrogen metabolizability and gross energy metabolizability as compared to control group. Thus, it may be concluded that average body weight gain, feed conversion ratio, DM metabolizability, Nitrogen metabolizability and GE metabolizability was improved on feeding 0.75% and 1.0% Ashwagandha root powder as herbal feed supplement.