Abstract

Nuguba Festus*, Sagbodje G. Bright, J. E. Orile and Fajenu Anita

In Nigeria, antibiotics are administered in poultry drinking water for prevention or control of bacterial contamination and to promote growth performance and health of birds. However, these antibiotics have negative effects and this has led to the search for safe and natural alternatives (like photogenic plants products and medicinal mushrooms) to reduce the continuous use of antibiotics in poultry to promote health and nutrition. In this study, the effect of oral administration of different levels of aqueous extract of Moringa oleifera seed, Gum arabic and wild mushroom (Ganoderma sp) and their combination on performance characteristics of broiler chickens were evaluated in comparison with antibiotic. Commercial hybrid (Marshal) broiler chicks were procured at day-old from a hatchery in Nigeria and brooded together for the first one week of age to acclimatise. On day 7, the birds were randomly distributed into different treatment groups, T1 - T8 (10 chicks per group) in duplicates. Group T1 = represent broiler chicks administered orally with Moringa seed aqueous extract, T2 = Gum arabic, T3 = wild Ganoderma, T4 = Moringa seed + Gum arabic, T5 = Moringa seed + wild Ganoderma, T6 = Gum arabic + wild Ganoderma, T7 = Moringa seed + Gum arabic + wild Ganoderma, T8 = antibiotic only as control for comparison. Each group (T1-T8) was administered orally with the respective plants product and wild mushroom treated drinking water at different levels (5% w/v at 2 weeks of age, 10% w/v at 4 weeks, and 20% w/v at 6 weeks). All the chicks in all the groups were fed ad libitum with broiler starter diet (22% CP and 2800 Kcal/kg ME) from 1 to 4 weeks of age, and broiler finisher (20% CP and 2649 Kcal/kg ME) from 5 to 8 weeks of age. Daily average feed intake, body weight gain, and feed conversion rates were monitored. Proximate study, minerals and phytochemical composition of the plants products and wild mushroom were evaluated. The results showed that Moringa seeds, gum arabic and wild Ganoderma contained appreciable levels of crude protein, fatty acids and essential minerals, which are valuable nutritional requirements of poultry. The average daily feed intake, body weight gain, feed conversion rates, carcass and organ weights of broilers administered orally with the aqueous extracts of Moringa seed, gum arabic and wild Ganoderma, were not significantly affected (P>0.05), as they compared favourably with the use of antibiotics. It was concluded that these plants products and wild mushroom could be utilized as natural alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters and source of feed supplements in broilers. Anti-nutrients in them were low (less than 5%) and this could be reduced during processing or aqueous extraction. These plants products and mushroom are consumed by humans as safe and natural source of food supplement and phytomedicine