EFFECT OF HERBAL PLANT QUILLAJA SAPONARIA SUPPLEMENTATION IN FEED ON GROWTH RATE, FCR, FECAL AMMONIA AND BLOOD UREA NITROGEN OF WEANLING PIGS

Abstract

A hundred twenty weaned crossbred pigs of Duroc Jersey and Landrace-Largewhite, weighing an average of 6.55 ± 0.62 kg were divided into three groups. The forty animals of each group were kept separately in four battery cages; each cage consisted of five males and five females. Group allotment was conducted by randomized complete block design (RCBD). Animals of the control group were fed basal diet. Animals of the second and the third group were fed supplemental extract of Quillaja saponaria with basal diet in doses of 125 ppm and 250 ppm respectively for a period of 7 weeks. The parameters used in this study for comparison were growth performance : ADG, FCR, fecal ammonia and blood urea nitrogen (BUN). The result showed that pigs fed Quillaja
extract 250 ppm produced a significant increase in average weight than the group fed 125 ppm and the control
group (p<0.05). The relative difference of ADG in the Quillaja 125 ppm and the Quillaja 250 ppm groups during the first three weeks of experiment were 100.84 and 106.88% and during the last four weeks of experiment were 103.32 and 104.98%, respectively. The relative difference of FCR in groups fed Quillaja 125 pmm and Quillaja 250 ppm during the first three weeks of experiment were 99.32 and 92.57%, and during the last four weeks of experiment were 91.40 and 89.78%, respectively. The effective : cost ratio (E:C) at the last four weeks of experiment in the Quillaja fed 125 ppm showed a higher ratio than the other two groups ie., 5.87 to 4.67. However, there was no significant differences in fecal ammonia levels and blood urea nitrogen in the experimental and the control groups (p>0.05).