Chicory modulates the rumen environment in lambs with endoparasites

The most natural areas typically host a variety of plant species that serve as nutritional centers for grazing ruminants. We aimed to determine the growth parameters, histology, and ruminal microbial characteristics of lambs with endoparasites grazing on meadow pasture with experimentally sown chicory (Cichorium intybus). Lambs infected with the larvae of the endoparasite Haemonchus contortus were divided into two groups: lambs grazing in the meadow grassland plot (CON) and lambs grazing in the experimental plot recultivated with chicory (CHIC). Similar initial weights of lambs of both groups up to D62 post-infection increased from D89 to D144 in the CHIC group. The ruminal concentration of ammonia nitrogen (P = 0.007), the relative abundance of Streptococcus bovis (P < 0.05), and the enzymatic activities of amylase (P = 0.008) and xylanase (P = 0.049) were higher in the CHIC group than in the CON group. Morphological observation of ruminal tissue revealed histological changes (e.g., tissue edema, organisms with Balantidium coli morphology) in all lambs. Self-medication of grazing lambs improved the nutrition and well-being of the animals, but beneficial feeding values of the chicory increased the efficiency of nutrient use and improved the production indicators of the infected lambs.