GROWTH PERFORMANCE OF ISA BROWN COCKERELS FED GRADED LEVELS OF AIR-DRIED NEEM LEAF AND BARK MEAL

Abstract

Poultry farmers prefer rearing of healthy birds using natural growth and health promoting additives. Azadirachta indica (neem leaf and bark) has good potential as feed additives. This study assessed the effect of graded levels of neem leaf and bark meal on performance and carcass characteristics of ISA Brown cockerels. Two hundred and seventy (270) day-old ISA Brown strain cockerels were used for the study. The birds were randomly allotted to nine dietary treatments of thirty birds each, replicated thrice with ten birds per replicate. The treatments were 0g Neem Leaf Meal (NLM) and Neem Bark Meal (NBM) as control, 2.5g, 5.0g, 7.5g and 10.0g NLM/kg feed, 2.5g, 5.0g, 7.5g and 10.0g NBM/kg feed in a Completely Randomized Design. Birds were fed the experimental diets from 1st week to 20th week of age. Daily feed intake (DFI), Daily Weight Gain (WG) and Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) were evaluated. Data were analyzed using General Linear Model. Cockerel chickens fed 2.5g/kg NLM exhibited significantly highest Final Weight (FW), DWG, and ADG during the starter phase compared to the control. In the grower phase, birds fed 5.0g/kg Neem Bark Meal (NBM) showed significantly heaviest FW, DWG, and ADG. In conclusion, feeding ISA Brown cockerels with neem bark meal up to 5.0g/ kg of feed enhance performance at finisher phase.