Page 1 of 6 Effects of Herbal-Plant Supplementation During Pregnancy on Ewes’ Blood Parameters and Lambs’ Birth Weight AO Hendawy 1,2 *, MM Mansour 1 , MS Moharam 1 and ANM Nour El Din 3 1 Department of Animal and Poultry Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Damanhour University, Egypt. 2 Department of Biological Production, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, Japan. 3 Department of Animal and Fish Production, Faculty of Agriculture (El-Shatby), Alexandria University, Egypt. Introduction The ban set on antibiotics use to reduce energy loss and en- hance productivity in livestock industry forced those concerned with animal production to search for safer and better alternatives [1,2]. In recent years, herbal plants have gained much attention as alternative growth promoters to antibiotic. Various medicinal plants and their extracts have been used as feed additives due to their various health-promoting effects such as being anti-oxidative, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and growth-promoting [3-5]. Previous studies have reported that medicinal plants and their ex- tracts may be included in ruminant diets to improve nutrient di- gestibility, rumen fermentation, immune function, milk production, and composition [6,7]. Nigella sativa is a small aromatic black seed slightly small- er than the sesame seed. It is commonly known as black seed and belongs to the botanical family of the Ranunculaceae, which grows in countries bordering the Mediterranean basin Received Date: June 11, 2020 Published Date: July 07, 2020 ISSN: 2688-822X DOI: 10.33552/AAHDS.2020.02.000531 Archives of Animal Husbandry & Dairy Science Research Article Copyright © All rights are reserved by AO Hendawy This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License AAHDS.MS.ID.000531. Abstract The objective of this study was to examine the effect of dietary supplementation of Nigella sativa seeds and Zingiber officinale powder on blood hematological parameters, biochemical parameters, and oxidative stress markers in pregnant ewes as well as on lambs’ birth weight. Fifteen pregnant crossbred ewes aged 3-5 years old weighing an average of 48.5±2.03 Kg, 8 weeks before expected calving date, were randomly divided into 3 groups: one control and 2 experimental groups. Ewes in the control group were fed basal diet only, while ewes in experimental groups were fed basal diet supplemented with Nigella sativa seeds or Zingiber officinale powder at a concentration of 5 g a day/animal until parturition. Blood samples were withdrawn biweekly until parturition. Counts of white blood cells were lower in Nigella sativa seeds treated animals compared with ewes in other groups. Total protein and glucose levels increased (P < 0.05) in ewes fed herbal plants compared with the control while cholesterol and triglyceride levels decreased (P < 0.05) in the treated animals compared with the control. Dietary supplementation with medicinal plants reduced malondialdehyde concentration while total antioxidant capacity increased; however, this increase was not significant (P < 0.05). There was an insignificant improvement in lambs’ birth weight of the treated animals compared with the control group. Use of medicinal plants as feed additive to ewes’ diet may improve blood biochemical parameters and reduce oxidative stress at late gestation period. These effects are likely to enhance animal performance. Larger number of replicates on the tolerance levels of Nigella sativa seeds and Zingiber officinale concentrations in the dietary treatment of ewes should be further studied. Keywords: Antioxidant; Birth weight; Ewe; Nigella sativa; Zingiber officinale *Corresponding author: AO Hendawy Department of Animal and Poultry Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Damanhour University, Damanhour, Egypt.