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The present research programme was conducted to study the effect of turmeric (Curcuma longa) powder supplementation on the growth performance and health status of Large White Yorkshire young pigs. A total number of 128 (12 litters) young pigs weaned at 28 days old were taken for the study period of 56 days. The young pigs in their respective litters were randomly divided into three groups viz., Control (C) fed basal diet, Treatment-1 (T1) fed basal diet+0.5% turmeric powder and Treatment-2 (T2) fed basal diet+1%  turmeric powder in such a way that there were 4 replicates in each group with 1 litter as one replicate. Parameters recorded were general appearance, occurrence rate of diarrhea and  faecal consistency. Statistical analysis revealed significant (p<0.05) differences in general appearance score during the post-weaning periods. Statistical analysis also revealed significant (p<0.05) differences in occurrence rate of diarrhoea (%) on 5th week under three different groups and significant (p<0.05) differences between the different groups during the post weaning (5th to 8th week) period, highly significant (p<0.01) differences in faecal consistency score between the groups during post weaning (5th to 8th week) and overall (1st to 8th week) periods. It may be concluded that dietary inclusion of dry turmeric powder at 1.0% level in pre and post weaning diets is beneficial - for growth performance of LWY young pigs especially during post weaning period.

Background: Zobawng is a local non-descript cattle of Mizoram, a hilly state of North-east India.Current study was carried out to investigate the haemato-biochemical profile of Zobawng cattle with the purpose of analyzing the physiological variations under the influence of different lactation stages in terms of determining possible biomarkers to monitor the energy balance and the metabolic adequacy during lactation. Methods: Eighteen clinically healthy lactating Zobawng cattle were categorized into three groups based on the length of their lactation: group-I (early stage), group-II (mid stage) and group-III (late stage). Haematological analysis was carried by automated blood analyzer (Melet Schlosing4e, France); whereas, metabolic parameters were evaluated by using automated clinical chemistry analyzer (Fuji Dry Chem 4000i, Fujifilm, Tokyo, Japan) Result: Haematological parameters varied non-significantly amongst the three groups of animals. The value of packed cell volume (PCV), RBC count and haemoglobin (Hb) concentration were found to be lowest during early stage of lactation. Other parameters viz. total leucocyte count (TLC), differential leucocyte count (DLC), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) and platelet count were within the normal limits. Similarly, metabolic parameters also differed apparently, but the differences were statistically non significant amongst the groups. The glucose level was recorded to be the lowest in the early stage of lactation; whereas, protein and creatinine concentrations were slightly higher in this stage. No significant alteration in the concentration of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was noticed amongst the three groups of cattle. Data generated during the study may be useful as reference values for the scientific community as this is the first study of its kind in Zobawng cattle.

Background: Pig rearing is the main income source for many unemployed people in India, particularly for the people in the north-east part of the country. It was found that the morbidity as well as mortality of young pigs immediately after weaning is high due to weaning stresses, mainly due to diet changes causing them to suffer from severe diarrhoea. For these reasons, providing creep feed along with dairy products during the period of pre-weaning and post-weaning is recommended. The majority of the farmers used skimmed milk powder which is commonly available in the market places, but since it is expensive, it may diminish the return for small-scale farmers. Methods: Present study was conducted to compare the growth performance of Large White Yorkshire young pigs (LWY) fed with diet containing skimmed milk and milk replacer during the pre and post weaning periods i.e., from 0 to 56 days of age. Parameters recorded were body weight in kilogram (kg), average daily gain (ADG) in gram (g), average daily feed intake (ADFI) in gram (g), feed conversion ratio (FCR) and cost of feed/kg gain (₹/kg). Result: Statistical analysis of all the parameters revealed non-significant (P≥0.05) differences between the three groups during pre-weaning, post-weaning and overall periods. It may be concluded that skimmed milk powder (SMP) can be replaced by milk replacer powder (MRP) in the diet of weaned pigs without any clinical complications.

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