Incorporation of a mixture of cumin, coriander, and peppermint to the diet of Roman dairy ewes and its effect on performance and blood parameters of suckling lambs

Medicinal plants are one of the most important known herbal additives in feeding ruminant animals. It has been reported that medicinal plants with favorable effects on rumen fermentation improve the function of the digestive system and as a result feed intake, as well as the level of animal products and the growth rate of infants increases. Also, numerous and sometimes contradictory reports have been reported about the effects of using medicinal plants in the diet of different animals on blood parameters. Limited studies have been published regarding the addition of medicinal plants to the diet of mother ewes and its effect on the suckling lambs. Most of the studies are about the direct use of medicinal plants by lambs and its effect on the performance and other behavioral characteristics of the animal. Therefore, in the present study, the main goal was to investigate the effects of adding a mixture of different proportions of medicinal plants such as cumin, coriander seeds and peppermint to the ration of lactating ewes on the performance, blood parameters, and antioxidant status of the suckling lambs.

This research was conducted in a completely randomized design using 48 lambs with an average weight of 3.34±0.44 kg along with 24 lactating ewes with an average milk production of 1107.03±122.25 grams per day in individual stalls for a period of 65 days. The groups of mother ewes included: control (basic diet) and first, second and third treatments, in addition to the basic diet, were received 15 grams of cumin, coriander and peppermint mixed powder with the ratios of 60:30:10; 10:45:45 and 30:60:10 %, respectively. The lambs were weighed every two weeks and at the end of the experiment, blood was taken from the jugular vein.

The final weight and average daily gain (ADG) of lambs of first treatment were higher than other groups (P<0.05). Red blood cells (RBC) and hematocrit were the lowest in third and the highest in first treatments, although there was no significant difference with control. Platelets and red cell distribution width (RDW) in first treatment were lower than control (P<0.05). There was no difference between treatments in terms of white blood cells (WBC), percentages of lymphocytes and granulocytes. The concentration of blood glucose in lambs of first treatment decreased compared to control. The total antioxidant capacity of lambs from mothers receiving herbal supplement increased and malondialdehyde was lower compared to control.

The results showed that the use of a mixture of cumin, coriander and peppermint in the ration of mother ewes increased the antioxidant capacity and decreased malondialdehyde in suckling lambs, although ADG was not noticeable.