EFFECT OF DIFFERENT INCLUSION LEVELS OF Moringa oleifera LEAF MEAL ON PERFORMANCE OF BROILER CHICKENS AT STARTER PHASE.

The present research was undertaken at the poultry unit of the Department of Animal Health and Production, Federal Polytechnic Bali, Taraba State, Nigeria, to determine the effect of graded levels of Moringa oleifera leaf powder on the performance of broiler chickens at the starter phase. Sixty-three day-old broiler chicks were grouped randomly to three dietary treatments, with three replicate each and seven birds per replicate. Treatment T1 received a basal diet free of MOLM, while T2 and T3 were fed diets containing 0.75% and 1.5% MOLM, respectively. Growth performance indices, consisting of feed intake, body weight gain as well as feed conversion ratio, were studied. By the time the experiment ended, Broilers in treatment T3, which received a 1.5% inclusion level, displayed higher values for final body weight, daily weight gain, and feed intake (635.37 g, 22.69 g, and 2,653.30 g) respectively. In contrast, feed conversion ratio (FCR) did not show any improvement (p >0.05) among the treated chickens. The findings suggest that dietary inclusion of MOLM at 1.5% can enhance productivity of broiler chickens at the starter stage and may serve as a partial protein supplement in broiler starter feed.