Evaluation of Functional Feed in Total Mixed Ration (TMR) with High Protein Content and Anthelmintic Agents Towards Performance and Anti-Parasitic Effect in Sheep

Abstract

Haemonchus contortus is gastrointestinal nematodes naturally bloodsucking the host and causing haemonchosis. To date, the prevention and treatment of haemonchosis rely on chemically anti-parasitic drugs. However, resistant to chemically anti-parasitic drug have been found in many previous studies. Therefore, the study on evaluation of total mixed ration (TMR) containing high protein content and forage with condensed tannin (CT) with bio-anthelmintic potential should be justified further. The study aims to evaluate the performance and its anti-parasitic effect of TMR towards H. contortus infection in sheep. Twenty sheep (± 1-year-old) with the average body weight of 20 kg had been randomly categorized into 5 treatments (n=4): T.1: Pennisetum purpureum cv. Mott 761.50 g DM; T.2: P. purpureum cv. Mott 609.20 g DM+Artocarpus heterophyllus 284.13 g DM; T.3: P. purpureum cv. Mott 609.20 g DM+Soybean meal (SBM) 65 g DM; T.4: P. purpureum cv. Mott 609.20 g DM+A. heterophyllus 162.36 g DM+SBM 65.00 g DM; T.5: P. purpureum cv. Mott 609.20 g DM+A. heterophyllus 284.14 g DM+SBM 65.00 g DM. The diet was provided in TMR at 08:00 and 16:00, while water was provided ad libitum. The results showed that TMR feeding with high protein content and anthelmintic agents (TMR PTAA) reduced fecal egg counts by improving dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), extract ether (EE), crude fiber (CF), nitrogen free-extract (NFE) consumption and digestibility (P<0.05). It can be concluded that TMR PTAA had positive effects in improving sheep performance and have bio-anthelmintic potentiality to alternate commercial anti-parasitic drugs.