Effect of Moringa olifera leaf meal on production performance and egg quality characteristics of Swarnadhara breeders

An experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of supplementing Moringa oleifera leaf meal (MOLM), as a protein replacement for soyabean meal on production performance of Swarnadhara breeders. Three different graded levels of Moringa oleifera leaf meal were used in formulating the diets; T1 (Control- 0% MOLM), T2 (5% MOLM), T3 (10% MOLM) and T4 (15% MOLM). One hundred and twelve Swarnadhara breeders of aged thirty weeks were randomly allocated to the four treatment diets containing MOLM at 0, 5, 10, and 15% levels replacing crude protein of soyabean meal. Feed intake, henday egg production, egg weight, Feed conversion ratio, fertility, hatchability and egg quality characteristics were measured among different dietary treatments. Among different treatments where MOLM was included in the feed replacing CP of soyabean meal, there was an improvement seen in hen day egg production in all the treatment groups when compared to control. There was no significant difference in egg weight, egg mass and egg quality characteristics like shell thickness, haugh unit and yolk index. Therefore, as per present study Moringa olifera leaf meal can replace soyabean meal upto 15% level and can be a promising protein source in swarnadhara breeders.