Growth Performance and Serum Biochemistry of Broiler Chickens Fed Dietary Supplements of Scent Leaf (Ocimum sanctum L.) and Neem Leaf (Azadirachta indica J.) Meals

Abstract

This study evaluated the effects of dietary neem leaf meal (NLM) and scent leaf meal (SLM) on growth performance and serum biochemical indices of broiler chickens. Two hundred and fifty-one-day-old Ross 308 unsexed broiler chicks were randomly assigned to five dietary treatments, each with five replicates of ten birds. T1 received the basal diet plus routine medication, T2 the basal diet without medication, T3 the basal diet with 3% NLM, T4 the basal diet with 3% SLM, and T5 the basal diet with 2% NLM + 2% SLM. The feeding trial lasted 42 days, after which growth performance and serum biochemical variables were evaluated. Dietary treatment significantly affected final body weight, body weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio, whereas liveability was not significantly affected. Birds fed T5 recorded the highest final body weight (2257.00 g), body weight gain (2216.76 g), and most efficient feed conversion ratio (1.88), together with the lowest alanine aminotransferase activity (15.99 IU/L). Birds fed T4 had the highest total protein (4.20 g/dL) and globulin (2.67 g/dL) concentrations and the lowest alkaline phosphatase activity (13.51 IU/L). Total protein, albumin, globulin, creatinine, alanine aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase differed significantly among treatments, whereas aspartate aminotransferase did not. Overall, neem and scent leaf meals influenced feed-use efficiency and selected serum biochemical and hepatic enzyme indices in broiler chickens.