Department of Agricultural Mechanization And Engineering Education

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Response of broiler chickens to diets containing varying levels of Leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala) leafmeal
(Online Journal of Animal and Feed Research, 2012) Kwabla Zanu, Holy; Mustapha, M.; Addo Nartey, M.
: A six-week experiment was conducted to assess the response of Cobb broiler chicks to diets containing varying levels (0%, 5%, 10% and 15%) of Leucaena leaf meal (LLM). The 4 dietary treatments were allotted to the birds in a completely randomized design. Each treatment consisted of three replicates, with fifteen birds per each replicate. The birds were fed experimental starter diets (14-28 d) and finisher diets (28-56 d). Feed and water were provided ad libitum. Final weight, growth rate and feed conversion ratio significantly (P<0.05) declined as the level of LLM in the diets increased. Dressed and carcass weights also reduced significantly (P<0.05) with increasing level of LLM in the diets. All organ characteristics except liver kidney were significantly (P<0.05) affected by dietary treatments. Haematological variables were also not affected (P<0.05). The total cholesterol and Low Density Lipoprotein of serum decreased (P<0.05) when LLM was included to the diets. Feed cost reduced when LLM was incorporated in the diets, but the net revenue declined as LLM in diet increased. In this study inclusion of LLM in diets for broiler chickens did not affect their health status, but rather depressed their growth.