Impact of Diet Supplementation with Fenugreek Seeds on Digestibility and Some Rumen and Blood Parameters in Lambs

This study was designed in two parts to assess the impact of fenugreek seeds (FS) supplementation on lambs' nutrient digestibility and some parameters of rumen and blood. Four lambs were used during the first part of the study by Latin square design, and the lambs were individually fed a concentrate on the level of 3% of live body weight. The first referred to as control (C) had no FS; the second, third, and fourth groups (T1, T2, and T3) were treated by FS at rates of 5,10, and 15%, successively. Each lamb gradually received feed through a preliminary interval for 10 days and subsequent 5 days for sampling, and then every lamb was switched to another treated diet. In the second part of the experiment, in Sacco degradability of the rations and FS was measured by incubating samples in the rumen of two cannulated ram lambs for 1, 2, 4, and 6 hours. The findings show that adding FS did not change the ruminal pH, ammonia-nitrogen concentration (NH3-N), or nutrient digestibility coefficients. Serum glucose (Glu) levels were significantly (P<0.05) reduced by fenugreek seeds, while other blood biochemicals were unaffected. After the feed samples were incubated in the rumen for one hour, there was a notable interaction between time and FS level that increased the Sacco degradability of the FS-treated diets. Six hours post-incubation in the rumen, supplementing FS to the lambs' feed at up to 10% showed a significant elevation in the Sacco DM degradability. In light of the current results, it is concluded that supplementing fenugreek seeds to the lamb’s ration has not influenced nutrient digestibility and ruminal fermentation.