Effect of Diet Supplemented with Different Levels of Moringa Powder on Growth Performance, Carcass Characteristics, Meat Quality, Hematological Parameters, Serum Lipids, and Economic Efficiency of Broiler Chickens

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of supplementing broiler chickens' diet with graded levels of moringa powder on growth performance. A total of 192 one-day-old broiler chicks were individually weighed and randomly distributed into four dietary treatments. Each treatment comprised four replicates with 12 chicks in each. Moringa powder was added to their diet by 0.0%, 0.25%, 0.5%, and 0.75%. The diet and water were offered ad libitum during the feeding trial, which lasted 42 days. One chicken was selected from each replicate at the end of the experiment to measure the carcass characteristics and meat quality, as well as the serum biochemical parameters of broilers. Regarding the overall growth performance, body weight gain and feed conversion ratio substantially improved (P<0.05) in broilers whose diet was supplemented with moringa powder, compared to the control group. Furthermore, the carcass yield considerably increased (P<0.05) in broilers whose diet was supplemented with 0.5% and 0.75% moringa powder, in comparison with the control group. In addition, birds fed with a diet supplemented with moringa powder showed a significant increase in their hemoglobin level (P<0.05). Moreover, the findings showed that a diet supplemented with moringa powder led to a significant decrease in the total cholesterol level, low-density lipoprotein, and the A/G ratio (P<0.05) but increased total protein and globulin levels (P<0.05), compared to the control group. In conclusion, the supplementation of 0.75% moringa powder in the diet as a growth promoter reduces the cost of production by improving growth performance and enhancing the health status of birds.