PERFORMANCE EVALUATION AND HAEMATOLOGICAL PROFILE OF WEANED PIGS FED AERIAL PART OF MEXICAN MINT (PLECTRANTHUS AMBOINICUS) (LOUR.) SPRENG
Keywords:
Growth performance, Haematological indices, Pigs, Plectranthus amboinicus, PhytochemicalsAbstract
A 3-week trial was conducted to assess the effect of short-term feeding of Mexican mint (Plectranthus amboinicus) (MM) on growth performance and selected haematological parameters of weaned pigs. Thirty weaner pigs aged six weeks, average weight of 5.8 ± 0.3kg were randomly allotted to five treatments in a completely randomized design. Each treatment was further subdivided into three replicates of two pigs each. Treatment one (T1) was the control and had no P. amboinicus, treatments two (T2), three(T3), four (T4) and five(T5) consisted of 2, 4, 6, and 8% of freshly cut aerial part of P. amboinicus respectively. Feed intake and weight gain of the pigs were recorded and feed conversion ratio (FCR) was calculated. Blood samples for haematological evaluations were collected at the anterior vena cava of the pigs at the termination of the 3-week trial. There were no significant differences (p>0.05) in the feed intake and weight gain however, the FCR was significantly(p<0.05) improved in pigs fed T2(2.53) when compared with pigs on diets T1 (2.76), T3(3.06), T4(3.29) and T5(2.77). The haemoglobin concentration of pigs on diet T3 had the highest Hb value of 12.47g/dL, followed by T5(12g/dL), T1(11.47g/dL), T4 (10.50g/dL), All other haematological parameters were similar. In conclusion, the inclusion of P. amboinicus up to 4% improved the feed conversion ratio and haemoglobin concentration in weaner pigs. However, a further addition of raw P. amboinicus beyond
4% is of no added advantage.