Asian Journal of Biological Sciences · 2019 · 17 citations · 2 references
AgricultureNutritional SciencesPoultry SciencePoultry MedicinePoultry NutritionPoultry PhysiologyBroiler FeedingBroiler Growth PerformanceBroiler NutritionNutrient UtilizationPoultry PrebioticsPoultry ProductionAntimicrobial Natural ProductsAntimicrobial Use In PoultryBroiler ChickensGrowth Performance AssessmentGrowth Performance EnhancementGrowth Performance TraitsPoultry Diet FormulationPoultry Diets
Background and Objective: Synthetic and semi-synthetic antibiotics as growth promoters are widely used in poultry production with some positive and negative effects and this has redirected research to natural antimicrobial products and plant leaves like neem leaf meal. The relevance of neem leaf meal as a growth promoter is due to its useful medicinal properties such as antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antiprotozoal, hepatoprotective, immunomodulatory and other peculiarities. This study therefore evaluated the effect of dietary inclusion of neem leaf meal (NLM) on the growth performance and carcass characteristics of broiler chickens. Materials and Methods: The feeding trial lasted for 8 weeks and a total of 192 day-old broiler chicks were used. The chicks were randomly allotted to four dietary treatments of 48 birds per treatment and replicated thrice with 16 birds per replicate in a completely randomized design (CRD). Four iso-caloric and iso-nitrogenous diets were formulated containing NLM at inclusion levels 0, 2.5, 5 and 7.5% for T 1 , T 2, T 3 and T 4 , respectively. Appropriate data on growth performance and carcass characteristics were determined and results subjected to one-way ANOVA accordingly. Results:
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