Effect of dietary supplementation of Neem (Azadirachta indica) leaf powder on the performance of commercial broiler chicken

Abstract

The present experiment was conducted to study the effect of supplementation of neem (Azadirachta indica) leaf powder (NLP) on the performance of commercial broiler chicken. A total of 144 day-old commercial broiler chicks (Cobb 400) were randomly divided into four groups viz. T0 (only basal diet as control), T1 (basal diet +0.1 % NLP), T2 (basal diet +0.2 % NLP) and T3 (basal diet +0.3 % NLP) consisting of 36 birds per group and further subdivided into 3 replicates of 12 chicks each. Supplementation of 0.3% Neem leaf powder improved the total feed consumption, significantly (P<0.05) improved final body weight and body weight gain. The final body weight per broiler was highest in T3 group (2048.61 ± 24.27 g) followed by T2 group (1939.64 ± 20.63 g), T1 (1744.12 ± 45.71 g) and T0 (1710.29 ± 38.32 g). At the end of the experimental period best FCR (1.75), highest BPEI (117.06) and higher gross profit was obtained in T3 group among the different experimental groups.