Indian Journal of Small Ruminants (The)

Thirty non-descript kids were allocated into six groups to study the effect of polyherbal preparations on nutrient utilization, serum enzymes and haematological profile. Gr I (control) was fed ad libitum basal feed. Gr II, III, IV, V and VI were fed as in control with combined supplement of AV/DAC/16 (@ 5 g/day/kid), Yakrifit bolus (@ 5 g/day/kid), Yakrifit liquid (@ 5 ml/day/kid), AV/RMF/17 (@ 5 g/day/kid) and Ruchamax (@ 5 g/day/kid), respectively. Supplementation was given at 1 to 7^th, 31 to 37^th and 61 to 67^thdays of experiment. The overall average daily gain (ADG) in body weight and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were significantly (P<0.05) higher in Yakrifit liquid, AV/RMF/17 and Ruchamax supplemented kids than control kids. Significantly (P<0.05) improved nutrient intake in terms of digestible crude fibre (DCF), digestible nitrogen free extract (DNFE), digestible ether extract (DEE) and digestible organic matter was observed in supplemented groups and being higher in kids supplemented with Ruchamax in their diet (Gr VI). Phosphorus balance improved significantly (P<0.05) in supplemented groups; however, non-significant variations were noticed for nitrogen and calcium balance. In the polyherbal formulation supplemented kids haemoglobin and total erythrocytic count increased significantly (P<0.05).