Effect of ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, serum metabolites, gut morphology, and microflora of growing guinea fowl

A 56-day feeding trial was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation of dried ginger meal (DGM) on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, serum parameters, gut morphology, and microflora of growing helmeted guinea fowl (Numidia meleagris). One hundred sixty 28-day-old male keets were assigned to four dietary treatments. There were 40 birds per treatment replicated four times with 10 keets each. The experimental diets consisted of the basal diet (control), ginger-supplemented diets containing 20, 40, and 60 g/kg DGM, respectively. Guinea fowls fed diet supplemented with DGM had higher (P <0.05) final body weight, body weight gain and lower (P <0.05) feed intake. Optimum weight gain was obtained with supplementation level of 36.15-g DGM (R2 = 0.923). Guinea fowls fed diet supplemented with 40 g/kg DGM recorded the highest (P <0.05) coefficient of total tract apparent digestibility of dry matter, ether extract and longest (P <0.05) duodenal and ileal villus heights. The crypt depth of the duodenum and ileum reduced (P <0.05) with increasing level of dietary supplementation of DGM. Dietary supplementation of DGM resulted in increased (P <0.05) total serum protein, serum albumin and low (P <0.05) serum cholesterol concentration. Ileum content of birds fed diet supplemented with 40 g/kg DGM recorded the highest (P <0.05) lactobacillus count. In conclusion, dietary inclusion of 40-g DGM per kilogram diet is hereby recommended for improved growth, apparent nutrient digestibility, gut morphology, serum chemistry, and stimulation of balanced intestinal microflora in growing guinea fowl.