Growth Performances of Broiler Chicken Fed Diets Supplemented with Graded Levels of Neem Leaf Meals

Abstract

A hundred and twenty five-days-old unsexed Arbor acres broiler chickens were allotted to six dietary treatments of 20 birds, replicated four times (5 birds each) to evaluate the effects of feeding graded levels of Neem (Azadirachta indica) leaf meal (NLM) on feed consumption, weight gain and feed conversion. The experimental birds were arranged in a completely randomized design and managed for 5 weeks. The dietary treatments were: P1 (control), P2 (supplemented with antibiotics/sulfamix), P3, P4, P5 and P6 were respectively supplemented with 1, 3,  5 and 7% Neem leaf meal (NLM). Drinking water was always available and the feed in mash form was offered ad-libitum. No significant difference (P>0.05) in weekly feed consumption and feed conversion ratio among treatment means were observed. The weekly body weight gains of chickens fed on diet supplemented with 5 and 7% NLM were significantly lower (P<0.05) than those fed on diet supplemented with 3% NLM but not different from control and those fed on diet containing sulfamix. Results of our study indicate that the optimum inclusion tolerance level of NLM in broiler chicken diet is 3%.