GASPRO International Journal of Eminent Scholars

ABSTRACT

In many countries around the world, Moringa oleifera leaves are eaten by some people in the regions where this plant grows. The study sought to examine mineral composition and Anti-nutritional factors of Moringa oleifera leaves as correlates of adequate Layer Diets. The study was carried out at the Poultry Unit of the Teaching and Research Farm, Department of Animal Sciance, 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 mineral and anti-nutritional factors. 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 to create public awareness of Moringa oleifera leaf meal in the production of poultry birds to farmers for effective commercial production of poultry meat.