Perpetua C Amaefule, Cosmas C Ogbu
The objectives of the study were to evaluate and compare the effects of Gongronema latifolium, Ocimum gratissimum and Telfaria occidentalis leaf meals on growth performance, haematological indices and carcass characteristics of Anak broiler chickens. Two weeks old ninety-six Anak broiler chicks were used for the study. The birds were divided into four (4) experimental treatments (T1, T2, T3, and T4) which were supplemented with 30g each of Gongronema latifolium (T1), Telfaria occidentalis (T2) and Ocimum gratissimum (T3) leaf meals per kg of feed. Birds in T4 did not receive any test material and served as the control. Results showed that birds fed supplements of O. gratissimum and T. occidentalis were similar with those of the control for most of the parameters measured. Length of body parts, haematological indices and weight of internal organs did not differ significantly among various treatments. However, O. gratissimum and T. occidentalis leaf meals had higher positive effects on growth performance than G. latifolium leaf meal. Therefore, these two herbs could be incorporated as feed additives to enhance the health and growth performance of broiler chickens.
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