Evaluation of Dietary Inclusion of Sweet Potato (Ipoma Batatas) Leaf Meal (SPLM) with and Without Enzyme Treatment in Broiler Diets

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to test the effects of Sweet Potato Leaf Meal (SPLM) as a supplement in broiler diet with or without enzyme treatment. This study is a part of ongoing efforts to reduce feed costs in broiler production and thus make more animal protein available and affordable to the growing world population especially in those countries where there are dangerous deficiency gaps between the quantity of animal protein required and the quantity consumed. Five hundred day-old broilers were brooded for four weeks after which 135 birds were selected for the experiment. Data were collected on the body weight and body weight gains, feed intake and feed conversion ratio and costs of feeds per kilogram of body weight of broilers. The data were subjected to both statistical and economic analysis. The results obtained from the analysis revealed that the birds fed with diets containing 20% enzyme treated SPLM proved superior in all parameters evaluated. Based on these observation the study recommended that farmers should be encouraged to include 20% SPLM treated with enzyme in their feed formulation for improved broiler production.