Effects of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) seed powder on growth performance, visceral organ Weight, serum cholesterol levels and the Nitrogen retention of broiler or chicken

Abstract

Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) is a medicinal plant having a range of therapeutic, anti-microbial and growth promoting effects. Objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of fenugreek seed powder on growth performance, visceral organ weight, serum cholesterol levels and the nitrogen (N) retention of broiler chicken. In a Complete Randomized Design with six replicates, 108 chicks in 36 pens received one of the six experimental diets containing either 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5% fenugreek powder from day 21-38. The weight gain of the birds that were fed with 4 and 5% fenugreek was significantly lower (p<0.05) than that of the birds fed with 1% fenugreek powder. One percent fenugreek powder improved the feed conversion ratio (FCR) by 13.8 %, compared to birds in the control group. Dietary fenugreek linearly increased the relative length of the small intestine and the weight of the pancreas. The N retention and serum cholesterol level were not significantly (p>0.05) altered by dietary fenugreek. It was concluded that 1 % dietary fenugreek has some growth promoting effects in broiler chicken. Tropical Agricultural Research Vol.24 (3): 289-295 (2013)

Keywords

• broiler, cholesterol, fenugreek, growth, pancreas