Effect of Herbal Additives Amla (Emblica officinalis) and Giloy (Tinospora cordifolia) on Carcass Traits of Magra Lambs in the Semi Intensive Management System under the Arid Zone of Western Rajasthan

Aim: It was the objective of this study to determine whether the highly nutritious herbal feed additives Amla (Emblica officinalis) and Giloy (Tinospora cordifolia) impacted carcass traits of Magra lambs in the semi intensive system of management.

Study and Design: The experiment involved 28 lean lambs between the ages of three and four months under a semi intensive system, distributed at random into four experimental groups of seven lambs each, according to the randomized block design.

Place and Duration of Study: The campus is located at 236 meters above mean sea level in the heart of the Thar Desert at 28° 18' 0" N (28.3° N) latitude, 73° 30' 0" E (73.5° E) longitude and 28° 18' 0" N (28.3° N) latitude. The duration of experimental study was thirteen weeks.

Methodology: In a semi-intensive management system, groups T1 and T2 received an oral/feed supplement consisting of 1.5g/kg body weight of Amla (Emblica officinalis) fruit powder with seed and Giloy (Tinospora cordifolia) stem powder, respectively, along with concentrate, excluding the control group and T3. Group T3 group received an oral/feed supplement comprising a combination of Amla (Emblica officinalis) fruit powder and Giloy (Tinospora cordifolia) stem powder at a dosage of 0.75g/kg body weight, along with concentrate.

Results: At the end of experiment, no significant changes were found in carcass traits except hot and cold carcass weight though; they were within normal range.

Conclusion: At the end of experiment it appears that incorporation of 1.5g/kg body weight Giloy stem powder can be used as a part of the strategy as it is effective to alleviate stress in lambs in the semi-intensive system of arid zone of Rajasthan.