Effects of Graded Levels of Neem (Azadirachta indica) Leaf Meal on Egg Production, and Quality of Eggs of Shika Brown Layers

Abstract

The effects of feeding graded levels of neem leaf meal (NLM) on egg production and egg quality of Shika Brown layers was investigated. Fresh neem leaves harvested, sun-dried under moderate sunlight for 5 days and milled to obtain neem leave meal (NLM) were incorporated into five experimental diets (T₁-T₅) containing 0%, 2.5%, 5.0%, 7.5%, and 10.0% NLM respectively, with T₁ (0% NLM) as control. One hundred and fifty (150) Shika Brown pullets aged 20 weeks were allotted, on equal weight basis, to the five dietary treatments of 30 birds each, made up of 3 replicates of10 birds per replicate in a Completely Randomized Design. At the end of 10 weeks of feeding, there were no significant (P>0.05) differences among the treatment means in total egg production, hen-day egg production (HDP), hen-housed egg production (HHP), and total egg mass. Variation in dietary contents of NLM had no significant (P>0.05) effect on the weight, specific gravity, shape index and shell weight of eggs produced. Eggs from layers fed diets containing 7.5% NLM were significantly (P<0.05) longer, wider and had more volume than those of the control and 2.5% NLM treatment groups but were not different in length and width from eggs of pullets fed 5.0% and 10.0% NLM diets. In this study, 7.5% dietary NLM significantly improved egg size when compared with the control and 2.5% NLM diet groups. All eggs produced were normal in shape. The shell quality characteristics, egg specific gravity and shell weight, were unaffected (P>0.05) by dietary NLM levels. However, shell thickness was numerically higher in the NLM compared to the control group, although the differences were not significant except between the control and 5.0% NLM groups. Albumen weight was significantly (P<0.05) higher in eggs from pullets fed 7.5% NLM than in eggs from the control birds. Values for albumen height and Haugh unit were also numerically, though non-significantly (P>0.05), higher with 7.5% NLM than in the control (0% NLM) group. Yolk attributes (height, weight and yolk index) for the neem-fed hens were not significantly (P>0.05) different from those of the control group. Yolk index values obtained for all treatments in this study ranged from 0.41 to 0.44). It was concluded that incorporation of up to 10% NLM in layer diets does not significantly reduce egg production and the external and internal quality attributes of eggs produced. 7.5% dietary NLM inclusion tended to enhance egg production and quality than in the control, and other NLM groups.

Keywords: Neem Leaf Meal, Shika Brown, layers, egg production, egg quality