VetSRev
Database of veterinary systematic reviews
Database of veterinary systematic reviews
Agricultural Research (2020) 9: 640–651
DOI: 10.1007/s40003-020-00469-0
Nutritional strategies that improve growth performance indices in chickens without increasing feed consumption are desirable considering the escalating feed cost. The use of spices to maintain health and increase productivity in livestock and poultry has been documented. However, a consensus has not been attained whether ginger, one of such spices, improves productivity in poultry. Therefore, the aim of this meta-analysis was to ascertain the effect of ginger administration on chicken performance. We searched AGORA, Scopus, Science Direct and Google Scholar for papers published in English using Boolean operators, proximity searching, wildcard and alternate spelling. Selected criteria were randomized and control trials with chickens, studies published in peer-reviewed journals, reported at least one presentation form of ginger and outcomes of interest and a measure of dispersion (standard deviation or p value). Twenty-one papers that satisfy the selection criteria were employed to determine the impact of ginger on feed intake, body weight gain (BWG), feed conversion ratio (FCR), organ weight, semen parameters and total serum lipid (triglyceride and cholesterol) content using Open Meta-analyst for Ecology and Evolution software. A positive relationship was found between ginger and semen quality in chickens. Ginger administration improved BWG (Hedges’ d, d = 0.495; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.041-0.949; p = 0.033) and FCR (d = - 0.732; 95% CI - 1.195 to - 0.270; p = 0.002) taking cognizance of publication bias and heterogeneity. Restricted subgroup analysis showed there is a positive association between ginger powder and FCR (d = - 0.732; 95% CI = 1.195 to - 0.270; p = 0.002). Meta-regression revealed that covariates (duration of administration, dietary form, inclusion level and strain) explained most of the heterogeneity. The occurrence of variations and publication bias does not pose a major problem in this study since a relatively large number of unpublished studies will be needed to change significant impacts. In conclusion, meta-analytical results suggest enhanced performance in chickens on different levels of ginger administration.
Ogbuewu, I. P., & Mbajiorgu, C. A. (2020). Meta-analysis of the effect of ginger (Zingiber officinale) on health status, production indices and semen quality in chickens. Agricultural Research, 9(4), 640–651. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40003-020-00469-0 Animal Reproduction and Embryology [LL250], meta-analysis, Animal Nutrition (Production Responses) [LL520], liveweight gain, liveweight gains, Animal Nutrition (General) [LL500], diets, Mathematics and Statistics [ZZ100], body weight, health, research, studies, blood chemistry, plants, birds, productivity, growth rate, chickens, domesticated birds, fowls, poultry, cocks, semen, medicinal plants, performance, blood lipids, blood serum, cholesterol, costs, ginger, plant composition, plant extracts, semen characters, spices, weight gain, Feed Additives [RR130], Feed Composition and Quality [RR300], chemical constituents of plants, drug plants, Horticultural Crops [FF003], medicinal herbs, officinal plants, Plant Composition [FF040], costings, Zingiber, Zingiber officinale, cockerels