Growth Performance of Mecheri Lambs and Economics by Replacing Dietary Protein with Moringa oleifera Leaf Meal

The present study was conducted to assess the effect of Moringa oleifera leaf meal (MOLM) as an alternative to a conventional protein source on the growth performance of Mecheri lambs. Twenty-four weaned male lambs of 3 months age (14.52±0.62 kg BW) were randomly assigned to four treatment groups with six in each, viz., T1 (control complete feed), and T2, T3 and T4 complete feeds with MOLM at 3, 6 and 12 % on dry matter to replace 5, 10 and 20 % of dietary total protein, respectively. During the 120-day trial, the DMI, body weight gain and feed conversion efficiency were similar among all the groups. There was a net extra gain of ₹401, 459 and 633 in T2, T3 and T4 groups than in T1. The results revealed that up to 20% feed protein can be replaced with M. oleifera leaf meal to make a cheaper diet for Mecheri lamb without affecting animal performance.