The effect of a herbal anthelmintic (garlic and neem) on the production performance of Karan Fries cows

Abstract

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of a herbal anthelmintic (Garlic and Neem combination) on the production parameters of Karan Fries cows. For this study, a total of 28 freshly calved cows (1-3 parity), were divided into four groups with 7 cows in each group (T1, T2, T3, T4). The cows in T1 were kept as the control. In T2, a commercial dewormer was used, whereas in T3, a single dose of garlic and neem in the ratio of 1:5 @ 4g/kg BW was used 7 days post calving, and in T4, in addition to the first dose, a second dose was also supplemented on day 60 after calving. The milk samples were collected at 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 fortnights after the deworming treatment and analyzed for milk composition and SCC. From the 5th fortnight onwards, a significantly higher (P≤0.05) daily milk yield (kg) was observed in T1, T2, T3 groups compared to T1. The overall average Somatic Cell Count (SCC) was found to be significantly lower in T4 followed by T3, compared to T2, which was further significantly lower than T1. From the 3rd to the 8th fortnight, protein (%) was observed to be significantly (p≤0.05) higher in the anthelmintic treated groups (significantly higher in T4 followed by T2, T3) compared to T1. From the 4th to the 8th fortnight, fat (%) was significantly (P≤0.05) higher in T4 compared to T1. The overall SNF (%) in T2, T3 and T4 differed significantly (P≤0.05) from the control group (T1). The overall value of lactose (%) was found to be significantly higher in the T4 group compared to the other groups. During the 7th and 8th fortnight significantly higher (P≤0.05) lactose (%) was observed in the T4 group compared to the other groups. This study concluded that besides providing better anthelmintic effects in comparison to chemical anthelmintics, the garlic and neem combination might improve the production performance of dairy cows.