Effects of diets contain garlic powder on degradability and digestion of ruminal and intestinal of fibrous and protein feedstuffs in Arabian sheep

This experiment was conducted to determine effects of garlic powder supplementation on rumen-intestinal digestion of sheep. At first step, the best level of garlic powder for sheep diets was determined by gas production technique (GP). At second step, with feeding of sheep by selected level, the effects of garlic powder on rumen-intestinal digestion of soybean meal, and rumen digestion and degradation of alfalfa were studied. In this step of experiment, animals were fed 35 day with experimental diets included: control and diet contain best level of garlic powder (2% garlic powder/DM). The results showed that GP, microbial biomass efficiency (P<0.05), and microbial biomass production (P>0.05) were most amount in diet contain 2% garlic powder, so it was selected as best diets in the present study. In in vivo study briefly, adding garlic powder had no effect on potential of GP of alfalfa forage and soybean meal (P>0.05), but significantly increased GP rate of them (P<0.05). Garlic powder consumption by sheep, caused to numeric increased (P>0.05) of rumen degradability (b fraction) of alfalfa forage (6.07%) and soybean meal (3.70%), and intestinal digestion of soybean meal (10.55 vs. 15.51%, for control and diet contain 2% garlic, respectively). Totally, using of garlic powder had no deleterious effect on GP, microbial biomass efficiency, rumen degradability of alfalfa forage and soybean meal, and intestinal digestion of soybean meal, and even numerically improved them (P>0.05). Therefore, as garlic powder has antimicrobial characteristics, but maybe had no negative effect on rumen microbes and digestion of fibrous and proteins feedstuffs. As there are many useful effects for garlic powder, like antibiotics and so on, it is recommended for animal nutrition.