Abstract

This experiment was carried out at animal farm, College of Veterinary Medicine, Baghdad University from 1/July/2009 up to 28/ February/2010. Twenty Awassi lambs were equally divided into four group and each animal fed on a concentrate diet, 2%of body weight with grazing for 3-5 hours a day .The first group (C) was kept as control group, second group (N) was daily fed with concentrate diet contain 7.5% ground Nigella sativa seeds, third group (F) was daily fed with same level of concentrate diet contained 7.5% ground Fenugreek seeds, while fourth group (NF) was also fed with same amount of concentrate diet supplemented both ground Nigella sativa seeds+ground Fenugreek seeds (7.5% and 7.5% respectively)as group feeding. The results revealed that using Nigella sativa seeds or Fenugreek seeds as well as using both of them as a mixed feed supplemented with concentrate diet of Awassi ram lambs showed significant (p<0.05) increase in animal live body weights, empty body weight, hot and cold carcass weight. Carcass measurements of NF group also recorded significantly (p<0.05) higher than other groups, also carcass length and depth of both N and F groups showed significantly higher than the control group. Most edible parts in group NF as well as N and F group recorded significantly higher than the control group. The weight of joints and their percentages of group NF showed significantly (p<0.05) higher than the those of control, both N and F groups, showed significantly (p<0.05) higher values in most weights and percentages of the joints compared with the control group. The areas of rib eye muscles and fat thickness of treated groups showed significantly (p<0.05) higher than the control group, the same trend were observed in lean and fat weight and their percentages of the rack joint.INTRODUCTION

The article was added to IASJ on 2015-03-24

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