Abstract

Objectives: This investigation aimed to assess the growth response of Nubian goats to the inclusion of Nigella sativa (NS) seeds in a ration contaminated with aflatoxin (AF).
Materials and Methods: Twenty healthy, growing male goats were randomly assigned to five groups in a completely randomized design. The control group was provided with a basic ration, whereas the treatment groups were subjected to an identical ration contaminated with 150 ppb of AF (AF + NS-0), supplemented with crushed NS seeds at levels of 2% (AF + NS-2), 4% (AF + NS-4), and 6% (AF + NS-6) of total dry matter. Daily feed intake and weekly body weight were recorded to evaluate growth parameters such as dry matter intake (DMI), average daily gain (ADG), feed conversion ratio (FCR), and protein efficiency ratio (PER).
Results: AF contamination significantly suppressed DMI, ADG, FCR, and PER, whereas NS seed supplementation improved ADG, FCR, and PER. The weekly DMI did not differ significantly between the control group and those supplemented with NS seeds in the AF-contaminated ration. Over the 6-week experimental period, NS seed supplementation exhibited a positive impact on growth performance, with the 6% NS seed supplementation showing superior effects. The study highlighted a strong correlation between growth parameters and NS levels, supported by higher R2 values.
Conclusion: The findings recommend a 6% NS seed supplementation in goat rations as a potential strategy to mitigate suspected AF contamination. Further examinations are necessary to explore the potential protective effects of NS seeds on different animal species exposed to rations contaminated with AF.

Key words: Aflatoxin; black seeds; feed intake; goat; performance; protein efficiency ratio