Effect of Dietary Inclusion of Ashwagandha Root Powder on Production Performance, Hematological Parameters and Immune Response of White Leghorn Hens
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Authors
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Sandeep Kumar
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R. S. Berwal
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Aman Kumar
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Sajjan Sihag
Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Hisar- Haryana
Keywords:
Ashwagandha root powder, Hematology, Immune response, Layers, Nutrient metabolizabilityAbstract
ABSTRACT
This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of supplementation of Ashwagandha root powder as feed additive on production performance, hematological parameters and immune characteristics in laying hens. A 16-week feeding trial was conducted with 120 White Leghorn layers of 22 weeks of age which were distributed randomly into five experimental groups, having 4 replicates with 6 birds in each. The laying hens of control group (T1) were fed the maize- soybean based basal diet with antibiotic, while in treatment groups T2, T3, T4 and T5 basal diet was supplemented with Ashwagandha root powder at levels of 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1 percent of feed, respectively. The results of study revealed that the feed intake was significantly (P<0.05) improved by supplementation of 0.75 and 1.00 percentAshwagandha root powder in feed of layers. FCR was not significantly affected by supplementation of Ashwagandha root powder in diets. Dry matter, nitrogen and gross energy metabolizability were significantly (P<0.05) higher in 0.75 and 1.00 percent Ashwagandha root powder supplemented group as compared to control group. Hematological parameters including RBC and WBC were found significantly (P<0.05) higher in T5, whereas significantly (P<0.05) lower heterophil and higher lymphocytes were found in T3, T4 and T5 groups resulting in lower H:L ratio in T3, T4 and T5 groups as compared to control. The relative mRNA expression of TLR2 was found to be enhanced (P<0.05) in T4 and T5 while, TLR4 showed significant downregulation as compared to control. Whereas, A non-significant difference was observed on expression of relative mRNA levels of TLR7 in the blood. Thus, it can be concluded that the inclusion of Ashwagandha root powder @1% in dietary ration could enhance the nutrient metabolizability, feed intake, hematological parameters and immune status of birds.
Keywords: Ashwagandha root powder, Hematology, Immune response, Layers, Nutrient metabolizability,
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