Evaluation of Ginger Powder as a Growth Promoter in Rabbit Diets: Effects on Growth Performance, Carcass Traits, and Blood Biochemical Parameters
Evaluation of Ginger Powder as a Growth Promoter in Rabbit Diets: Effects on Growth Performance, Carcass Traits, and Blood Biochemical Parameters
Mube Kuietche Hervé1*, Saknteh W.B1, Azoutane Julien2, Kana Sagne Derrick1, Vemo Bertin3, Djoumessi Gina4, Tatsinkou Alain Serge1, Francois Djitie5, Defang F. Henry1
ABSTRACT
Antibiotics retraction as feed additives has led to a decline in animal health and reduced economic profitability for farms. This necessitates the identification of effective alternatives that do not compromise human or animal health. This study investigates the impact of dietary ginger powder supplementation as a growth promoter on the productive capabilities of rabbits. A total of 40 rabbits of a local breed, aged 38 days andweighting on average 550±60g, were randomly assigned to five treatment groups, each containing eight animals. The treatments included a control diet without additives (T0-), a diet with 0.1% antibiotic (T0+), and diets with 0.2%, 0.4%, and 0.6% ginger powder (T1, T2, and T3, respectively). Data on growth characteristics, carcass traits, and blood biochemical parameters were collected over a 6-week experimental period. The results showed no significant differences in growth performance and carcass yield among the groups. The T0+ diet, which included antibiotics, was associated with a significant increase in abdominal fat, creatinine, ALAT, and ASAT levels as compared to the other treatments. Conversely, the highest white blood cell and granulocyte values were recorded in the T3 group, which received a diet with 0.6% ginger powder. The study concluded that ginger powder is a promising alternative for improving rabbit health status without compromising growth performance, highlighting its potential as a viable substitute for antibiotics in animal feed. In conclusion, while ginger powder may offer some benefits in terms of growth rates, the lack of statistically significant differences in overall performance suggests that further research is needed to fully understand its potential as a substitute to antibiotics in rabbit diets. Caution is warranted before drawing definitive conclusions about its efficacy as a growth promoter in this context.
Keywords | Ginger powder, Rabbits, Growth performance, Metabolic profile
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