Yerba Mate (Ilex paraguarensis) as a novel feed supplement for growing lambs

Abstract

Yerba Mate (Ilex paraguarensis), a plant known for its high antioxidant content, was fed to 20 of 40 lambs for 8 weeks. Lambs were randomly divided into two groups: one group (n=20) was fed the control diet and one group (n=20) was fed the control diet with 2.5% Yerba Mate. Lambs were group housed by treatment and fed ad libitum through automatic feeders that recorded individual food intake. Lambs received the dietary treatments for a total of 8 weeks and were monitored for live weight (LW), average daily growth rate (ADG), food conversion rate (FCR) and feed intake. Blood samples (8mL) were taken from all lambs, on weeks 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 and plasma analysed for total antioxidant capacity (..