The effect of administering aqueous extract of fermented Moringa oleifera leaves via drinking water on performance and carcass characteristics of broilers

The need to adopt natural herbal plants as feed additives in poultry production has received attention among poultry nutrition and production experts in recent years.  Herbal plants have few or no side effects, unlike synthetic additives. The aim of the research was to examine the effect of fermented Moringa oleifera leaf aqueous extract (FMLAE) on growth performance and broiler carcass characteristics. A total of 240 healthy day-old-chick broilers with homogeneous average body weight were randomly divided into 4 treatments and 6 replications with 10 heads per cage in a completely randomized design.  Fermented Moringa leaf aqueous extract (FMLAE) treatment was given through drinking water at levels: 0% as control (A); 2% (B), 4% (C), and 6% (D), respectively.  The results showed that FMLAE supplementation in drinking water had a significant increase (P<0.05) in body weight gain, carcass weight, carcass percentage, feed consumption and feed efficiency. It can be concluded that the addition of 2-6% fermented Moringa leaf aqueous extract (FMLAE) to the drinking water of broilers aged 0-4 weeks significantly increases growth, carcass and feed efficiency.