HEMATOLOGICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL BLOOD INDICES OF WEANER PIGLETS WHEN THE DIET IS SUPPLEMENTED BY GRASS MEAL OF ALFALFA CANDIDATE VARIETY SYULINSKAYA (MEDICAGO VARIA)
The studies involved Large White weaner piglets in winter on the pig farm of the OOO “Khatasskiy svinokompleks” in the City of Yakutsk in 2018. The research goal was to study the effectiveness of using grass meal of alfalfa candidate variety Syulinskaya (Medicago varia) as a feed supplement to piglet diet. To conduct the experiment, the control group and two trial groups of piglets were formed; there were 9 animals of 40 day’s age in each group. The nutrition and housing conditions were the same in all groups. The grass meal obtained in a pulverizing mill was mixed with the main feed in amount of 15.0 g and 25.0 g per day per piglet; the mix was fed for 30 days beginning with the weaning. The total flavonoid content in the composition of grass meal was determined and some flavonoids were identified: apigenin-7-glucoside, luteolin-7-glucoside, dihydroquercetin and trace amounts of apeginin. The use of grass meal of alfalfa candidate variety Syulinskaya (Medicago varia) as a feed supplement for weaner piglets of 40-70 days’ age contributed to the reduction of inflammation and improved hematological indices. Due to the increase of low-molecular antioxidant pool in the cells, there was a decrease of oxidative stress level in the piglets. The use of grass meal supplement may increase the resistance of animals to technological stress associated with weaning.