Measurement of the effects of thyme oil on the performance of lambs

One of the most important issues that livestock activities focus on in the world and in our country is to shorten the time for animals to reach slaughter weight and to make the process the most economical. Government agencies and companies are working intensively on this issue. In addition, studies are carried out to prevent the deaths of offspring, which cause significant losses in ovine breeding, and to increase milk yield and fertility in breeders. However, due to the fact that each drug used has side effects, it has come to the fore that the essential oils of plants found in nature produce a natural solution to the process, taking into account animal health and yield parameters. In this study, it was aimed to investigate the effects of oregano oil with 81.715% carvacrol ratio on lamb performance. Using the experimental method in the study; In a private sheep breeding enterprise in Balıkesir, a control group and a trial group were formed with 30 randomly selected lambs born from broodstock sheep of similar age and live weight. In addition to the maintenance routines, 0.1 ml/10 kg live weight oregano oil was given orally to the trial group of 15 units. In the control and trial group, feed and water ad libitum were applied. Throughout the study, the live weights of the lambs were determined by weighing on days 0, 49, 70 and 90. After slaughter, carcass was weighed to determine its weight. The average weight of the lambs in the control group was 3460 g and the average weight of the experimental group was 3486.7 g. At the weighing on the 49th day, the mean weight was 26334.7 g in the control group and 28265 g in the experimental group. However, on the 70th day, the control group weighed 39042.7 g and the experimental group weighed 38571 g, and the control group lambs were slightly heavier. The live weights of the lambs showed statistically significant differences in the carcass weights of the control and thyme fat study groups during the trial period (p=0.01). When the carcass yield was examined, there was no statistically significant difference between the groups (p=0.07). The fact that the difference in live weights between the groups is low seems insignificant for the field conditions, but it is important for the continuation of studies in this direction.