Moringa leaf meal in diets of slow-growing chickens on metabolizability, performance, carcass, organ biometry and meat colorimetry

Abstract

Two investigations were developed. The first experiment was to determine the metabolizability of Moringa (Moringa oleifera) leaf meal. 120 slow-growing, 21-day-old chickens were used. The experimental period was seven days, four for adaptation to diets and three for collection of excreta. The Moringa leaf presented values for apparent metabolizability coefficients of dry matter, crude protein, crude energy and neutral detergent fiber, as well as apparent metabolizable energy and corrected metabolizable energy for a nitrogen balance, of 49.77%, 44.48%, 46.26% and 53.02%, and 2,334 kcal/kg, 2,159 kcal/kg respectively. The second experiment was to evaluate the inclusion of Moringa leaf meal in the diets of two hundred and forty slow-growing chickens from one to 80 days of age on performance, carcass characteristics, biometrics of digestive organs and meat color. The experimental design was completely randomized with four treatments (0.75%; 1.50%; 2.25% and 3.00% inclusion of the Moringa leaf), six repetitions and ten chickens per experimental unit; the inclusion levels of the Moringa leaf did not influence (p> 0.05) feed intake, weight gain, feed conversion, final weight at 30, 60 and 80 days, carcass, noble cut yields and meat color. The inclusion of Moringa leaf meal can be used up to the 3% level in slow-growing chicken diets, without affecting the productive performance of these animals.