Effect Of Administering Artemisia Herba-Alba and Vitamin E Aqueous Extracts on Performance, Rumen and Blood Physiological Parameters in Lambs

The study aimed to determine the effect of administering the aqueous extract of Artemisia herba-alba and vitamin E on some physiological traits of local male lambs. Thirty local male lambs, aged between 4 and 4.5 months, with an average body weight of 21.35 kg, were randomly divided into six equal groups of five lambs each. All lambs were fed the same diet. Lambs in the first group (T1) were drenched with distilled water and served as the control group. The second group (T2) was drenched with the aqueous extract of Artemisia at a dose of 100 mg kg-1 live body weight every day. The third group (T3) received the aqueous extract of Artemisia at a dose of 200 mg kg-1 live body weight. The fourth group (T4) was drenched with vitamin E at a dose of 15 mg kg-1 live body weight. The fifth group (T5) was given a mixture of Artemisia aqueous extract and vitamin E at doses of 100 mg+15 mg kg-1 live body weight, while the sixth group (T6) received a mixture of Artemisia aqueous extract and vitamin E at doses of 200 mg+15 mg kg-1 live body weight. The results revealed a significant improvement in the parameters of Artemisia, vitamin E, and their combination compared to the control group. Improvements were observed in rumen fluid characteristics, total protein, globulin, and glutathione peroxidase enzyme activity, along with a decrease in malondialdehyde levels. No significant differences were recorded in albumin levels. Artemisia and vitamin E, alone or combined, demonstrated beneficial physiological and metabolic effects, suggesting potential as natural feed additives for lambs