Influence of Amla (Emblica officinalis L.) and Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) Supplementation on Haemato-Biochemical Profile in Goat Kids

Abstract

This study aimed at ascertaining the effect of amla (Emblica officinalis L.) fruit powder and fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) seed supplementation on haemato-biochemical profile of growing goat kids. For this, 24 healthy uncastrated male kids (age: 4-6 m; mean body weight: 7.49 ± 1.04 kg) were distributed into four groups of six each through a randomized block design. All the kids were fed with a basal diet comprising of concentrate mixture and wheat straw in proportion of 60:40. Additionally, the ration of the kids of group T₁ contained no supplement (control), whereas, those of groups T₂, T₃ and T₄ contained  3% amla, 3% fenugreek, and 1.5% amla plus 1.5% fenugreek seeds, respectively on a dry basis. Results of 240 days of feeding trial revealed that haematological parameters measured as haemoglobin and packed cell volume as well as blood metabolites such as glucose, triglycerides, cholesterol, total protein, albumin, globulin, urea, aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase did not differ across various dietary treatments. Therefore, it was concluded that supplementation of amla and fenugreek did not influence any of the analysed blood parameters related to energy, protein and fat metabolism, and thus proving safe for use as natural feed additives in goat husbandry.