Published Article

ABSTRACT

The study sought to evaluate the Nutritional Potential of Moringa oleifera Leaf Meal for Broilers

and Layer Diets. Two research objectives were employed for the study. The study was carried

out at the Poultry Unit of the Teaching and Research Farm, Department of Animal Science,

Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Wildlife Resource Management, University of Calabar,

Calaber, Cross River State – Nigeria. Fresh Moringa oleifera leaves were harvested from

Moringa trees and collected at Ugbo Village in Awgu Local Government Area, Enugu State and

transported to Calabar. The test material (Moringa oleifera) leaves were dried under shade at

room temperature of 32°C by spreading them on concrete slabs and allowed drying for two (2)

weeks after which they were milled with a grinder to produce the meal of 0.35mm sieve size. The

processed test material (the mealed sample of Moringa oleifera leaf) was bottled in an air tight

container for chemical analysis to ascertain its proximate and vitamins, composition. The

methods of Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC), 2010 were used in determining

the nutrient compositions of MOLM and experimental diets. The study concluded that Moringa

oleifera leaf meal (MOLM) has high nutritional potential and could be used as an alternative

plant protein feedstuff in broiler and layer diets up to 10.00 percent supplementation levels

without deleterious effects on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, carcass and blood

characteristics of broilers as well as egg quality parameters of layers. One of the

recommendations was that there is need for aggressive agronomic studies of Moringa oleifera

for commercial production of the leaves.