Effect of dietary inclusion of alfalfa (Medicago sativa) and black cumin (Nigella sativa) on performance and some blood metabolites of Japanese quail

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary inclusion of alfalfa (Medicago sativa) and black cumin (Nigella sativa) powder on performance and serum composition of Japanese quails. One week old three hundreds Japanese quails were divided into 4 groups (of three replicates each) in a randomized design. G1 is the control group that did not receive any herbal planet, G2 group was fed the control diet + 2% of Alfalfa powder, G3 group was fed the control diet + 2% of Nigella Sativa powder and G4 group was fed the control diet + 2% of the mixture of both herbal plants. The results showed that using these medicinal plant in their diet had significant effects on daily body weight gain of the quails (P<0.05). The serum total cholesterol and triglycerides concentration were significantly reduced in G2 compared to the control groups (P<0.05). The study concluded that that inclusion of Alfalfa and Nigella sativa either alone or in combination can improve the performance and blood metabolites of Japanese quails.