Growth performance, intestinal morphology, and carcass traits in broiler chicken fed Conocarpus erectus leaf meal

This study evaluated the effects of adding Conocarpus erectus leaf meal to the diet on the perfor-mance, carcass traits, organ weights, and intestinal morphology of broiler chicken. A total of 396 one-day-old Ross 308 broilers were assigned to nine treatments, which included 0, 0.25%, 0.5%, 0.75%, 1%, 1.25%, 1.5%, 1.75%, and 2% C. erectus leaf meal addition to the broiler diet. Feed and bird weights were recorded weekly. On slaughter day, the weights of carcasses and organs were individual-ly reported using a digital scale as well as the intestine samples were pooled for tissue analysis. High levels of C. erectus leaf meal reduced (P<0.01) body weight, body weight gain, and feed conversion ratio. The basal diet and 0.25% C. erectus leaf meal diet reported higher (P<0.01) body weight and body weight gain than did the other treatments. Birds fed 0.25% C. erectus leaf meal supplementation performed similarly to those fed the basal diet. Significantly, with increasing amounts of C. erectus leaf meal in the diets, there was a linear slope decrease in live weight and body weight gain as well as a linear slope rise in the values of feed intake and feed conversion ratio. Carcass trait and relative organ weights were not altered among the dietary treatments. Feeding 1% C. erectus leaf meal diet decreased (P<0.01) relative abdominal fat weight compared to birds fed the control diet. Birds fed dietary C. erectus treatments had higher (P<0.01) villus height, villus width, crypt depth, and lower villus height/crypt depth ratio than did birds fed the control diet. In conclusion, the study indicated that feeding 0.25% C. erectus leaf meal showed no deleterious effects on the growth performance of the broiler. Growth performance and intestinal morphology were linearly reduced when broilers were fed up 2% of C. erectus meal.