INFLUENCE OF DIETARY SUPPLEMENTATION OF TERMINALIA ARJUNA STEM BARK ON GROWTH PERFORMANCE, CARCASS EVALUATION, OXIDATIVE STRESS AND CAECAL MICROBAL COUNT OF GUINEA FOWL

A 90 days experiment was carried out to determine the influence of dietary supplementation of Terminalia arjuna stem bark on growth performance, carcass evaluation, oxidative stress and caecal microbal count of guinea fowl using 350 one-day-old guinea fowl (Lavender variety) of mixed sex (male and female) was randomly divided into five groups with seven replicates with ten birds each. Standard basal diet was compounded to meet the nutritional requirement of birds according to the Nutritional Research Council guidelines in 1994. Birds in group A (control) received a standard basal diet presented in Table 1, while the other group B, C, D and E were fed same diet fortified with Terminalia arjuna stem bark powder at 100 g, 200 g, 300 g and 400 g per kilogram diet in that order. Animals had unlimited access to fresh clean water, feed and a completely randomized experimental design was adopted. Tannins, saponins, alkaloids, flavonoids, triterpenoids, steroids and phenolic compounds were the phyto-components present in Terminalia arjuna stem bark powder at 207.3 mg/g, 56.41 mg/g, 82.55 mg/g, 532.5 mg/g, 96.82 mg/g, 34.79 mg/g and 200.8 mg/g respectively. Average daily weight gain and average daily feed consumption values which varied from 16.44 - 19.51 g and 43.19 - 44.58 g increasing the level of Terminalia arjuna stem bark increased these parameters (p