Effect of guava (Psidium guajava) leaf on growth performance and incidence of diarrhoea of large white Yorkshire nursing piglets during pre-weaning period

Abstract

For the present study, 48 number of Large White Yorkshire nursing piglets maintained at Livestock Farm Complex, College of Veterinary Sciences & Animal Husbandry, Central Agricultural University, Selesih, Aizawl, Mizoram, India were utilized. All the animals were randomly assigned into 3 equal group’s viz., T1, T2 and T3. Creep feed was provided to piglets of all the groups from 10th day of age up to weaning. The T1 group was fed Diet 1 without any supplementation of guava leaf meal. The T2 group was supplemented with Diet 2 which contains 1.5% of guava leaf meal and the T3 group was supplemented with Diet 3 with 2.5% guava leaf meal. All the piglets weaned at day 28 and their body weights at weekly interval were recorded during nursing period. The results showed that the groups supplemented with guava leaf meal showed higher BW and ADG. Among the different treatment groups, lower incidences of diarrhoea were observed in the piglets under T3 groups followed by T2 and T1 groups. Statistical analysis revealed that dietary supplementation of guava leaf meal was helpful to maintain the body weight gain during suckling period in neonatal pigs.