Potency of Medicinal Leaves in the Growth Performance of Broiler Chicks

Abstract

The study is about the feed additives present in medicinal leaves was conducted to investigate the antibacterial and the phytochemical composition of the ethanolic leaf extract present in different medicinal leaves. Ethanolic extracts of Persia americana (avocado), Psidium guajava (guava), and Moringa olifera (malunggay) were tested using the paper disc diffusion method for antibacterial agent against the common poultry pathogens Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Guava and avocado extract showed almost all the secondary metabolites screened while only flavonoids and alkaloids were present in the malunggay extract. The presence of secondary metabolites applied to broiler chicks as feed additives enhances the growth performance of the chicken. There were five treatments groups identified as distilled water,Vetracin, avocado decoction, guava decoction, and malunggay decoction. Using a statistical analysis of one- way ANOVA and Duncan’s Multiple Range Test (DMRT), final weight and the weight gained has significant differences including some body parts of the chicken while the final circumferential measurement doesn’t have a significant difference. Among the treatments, guava decoction had better weight yield among the experimental medicinal leaves.Therefore, this can be an alternative substitute for antibiotics in the chicken production and one way of eliminating the use of synthetic antibiotic application is through the utilization of the natural antibiotic extract from medicinal leaves which lessen the side effect in the treated animals and consumers.