Adding Ginger Powder or Oil and its Effect on Nutritional Evaluation of Rams Rations

The current experiment was carried out in Maryout Research Station, Desert Research Center (DRC) to evaluate the effects of additives ginger powder or oil on, feed intake, digestibility, nitrogen and water utilization, ruminal and blood parameters of Barki sheep. Four Barki rams of each group with an average live weight (36.37±0.99 kg) were individually kept and fed in metabolic cages to determine nutrient digestibility and nutritive value of the experimental rations. Feed offered was calculated to cover requirements according to recommended by Kearl (1982) Roughage concentrate ratio was 40:60. The treatments included: (G1) without any additives (Control), The (G2) and (G3) groups were additives (with 3 and 6 gm ginger powder (GP)/head/day), respectively. Ginger powder was mixed daily by concentrate mixture to offer for daily basis. The (G4) group was orally administered by (2 ml ginger oil (GO) / head/ day). The data indicated that Values of dry roughage, concentrate intake and total DMI (g/ kg BW) were insignificant between groups. Organic matter and Crude protein digestibility were high significantly (P≤0.05) for G4 than those recorded for ram in G2, G1 and G3 groups. While values insignificantly differences in DM, CF and NDF digestibility between all groups .However, animals fed G4 had high insignificantly digestibility coefficients of DM, and CF than other groups. Data of nutritive values indicated that G4 recorded high significantly (P≤0.05) TDN, DCP vs. those other group. Rams in G4 group had high significantly (P≤0.05) value of TDN% and DCP% than other groups. Nitrogen intake (g/ kg BW) was insignificantly affected by treated with ginger forms. As for digested nitrogen (g/ kg BW) the data was insignificant among experimental groups, it seems that G4 had the highest values of digested nitrogen, while it was significantly differed with digested nitrogen as a percentage of intake. Nitrogen balance as ((g/ kg BW) or % of digested) showed that were insignificant between experimental groups; it seems that G4 had the highest while G2 had the lowest values of nitrogen balance. Water balance was slightly difference significantly (P≤0.05) among treatments;