QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF MIXED DIET OF CONCENTRATES AND CROP BYPRODUCTS FOR ALL-YEAR FEEDING OF RUMINANTS

Abstract

The addition of different  plant part extracts in the diets of poultry has been reported to have some effects on animal physiology and biochemical functions. This study evaluated the growth performance of broiler chickens fed leaf meal, raw and toasted seed cakes of Moringa oleifera from 0-4 weeks. A total of 96 day-old chicks were allotted to 4 treatment groups of 8 birds each in a completely randomized design with 3 replications. The trial lasted for 28 days for the starter phase. The results showed significant differences (p<0.05) in average final weight gain, average daily weight gain, average daily feed intake and feed conversion ratio. The birds fed the toasted Moringa seeds showed significantly higher weight gains than all other treatments. Therefore, it can be concluded that toasted Moringa seed cake, when included in the diet of starter broilers, promotes , optimal growth and productivity, than raw Moringa seed cake, leaf meal as well as the control treatment. Therefore, toasted Moringa seed cake could effectively be used as growth promoter and can replace the use of other synthetic commercial additives especially for consumers who insist on organic products as well as for increased profitability of the poultry production business.