Melaleuca quinquernervia leaf extract: Effect on growth performance and apparent digestibility of Japanese quails

This research was undertaken to evaluate the influence of Melaleuca quinquernervia leaf extract on the growth performance and apparent digestibility of Japanese quails. Three hundred (300) two-week-old Japanese quails (mixed sex) were randomly distributed into four treatments with five replicates, each replicate consisting of 15 birds. A completely randomized experimental design was adopted in the 42-day trial. The treatment consists of: treatment 1, basal diet without M. quinquernervia extract; treatment 2, basal diet with M. quinquernervia extract at 2 mL per litre of water/day; treatment 3, basal diet with Melaleuca quinquernervia extract at 4 mL per litre of water/day; and treatment 4, basal diet with M. quinquernervia extract at 6 mL per litre of water/day. The basal diet was formulated according to the requirements of birds; feed and water were unrestrictedly served. Experimental results showed the major phyto-compounds in M. quinquernervia leaf extract by GC-MS were: α-copaene (607.3 mg g-1), 1-Hexadecanol (85.17 mg g-1), Humulene (78.31 mg g-1), and γ-Terpinene-3-Carene (45.22 mg g-1), respectively. Daily weight gain and daily feed intake improved (p < 0.05) among birds that received M. quinquernervia leaf extract compared to the control. Apparent digestibility of dry matter, crude protein, crude fibre, ether extract, and ash values, which varied from 71.19 – 89.17%, 69.08 – 78.91%, 36.12 – 40.92%, 49.96 – 59.11%, and 35.91 – 50.05%, respectively, were significantly (p < 0.05) influenced by the treatment. In conclusion, feeding quails with Melaleuca quinquernervia leaf extract exerts a beneficial effect on their performance, especially when administered up to 6 ml per litre of water/day without causing any detrimental effect on their health status.