Dosage Effects of Aqueous Extract of Baobab Tree (Adansonia digitata Linn) Bark on Growth Performance, Blood Profile, Intestinal Morphology and Microflora of Cockerel Chickens

Abstract

This experiment investigated the dosage effects of the aqueous extract of Baobab Tree Bark (AEBTB) on growth performance, blood profile and intestinal micro-flora of cockerel chickens for 16 weeks. A total of 200 Isa brown day-old cockerel chicks were used in groups of AEBTB (0, 300, 325, 350 and 375 mg/ litre of water) for the experiment. Qualitative and quantitative (mg/100 g) phytochemical screening revealed that AEBTB contained flavonoid (36.33 mg), cardiac glycoside (31.46 mg), saponin (23.26 mg), alkaloid (24.86 mg), tannin (19.28 mg) and phenolic (17.06 mg). The most common components in GS-MSwas 9-Octadecenoic acid (C19H36O2; 296.0 g/mol). At the chick phase, significantly (p<0.05) highest final weight (416.50 g/bird) and weight gain of 47.69 g/bird/day were recorded in birds on 375 mg/litre when compared with the control. Alkaline phosphatase, RBC, Hb, PCV and MCHC were significantly (p<0.05) reduced by AEBTB in the birds when compared with the control and the lowest total bacterial count was in birds on 375 mg/litre of AEBTB. However, at the grower phase, birds on 300 mg/litre AEBTB had the best (p<0.05) feed conversion ratio. The study concluded that AEBTB at 300 mg/litre improved health status and growth performance of meat-type chickens.