Melaleuca quinquernervia leaf extract: Effect on growth performance and apparent digestibility of Japanese quails
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14295/bjs.v5i2.831Keywords:
quails, performance, phyto-compounds, digestibility, Melaleuca genusAbstract
This research was undertaken to evaluate the influence of Melaleuca quinquernervia leaf extract on the growth performance and apparent digestibility of Japanese quails. Three hundred (300) two-week-old Japanese quails (mixed sex) were randomly distributed into four treatments with five replicates, each replicate consisting of 15 birds. A completely randomized experimental design was adopted in the 42-day trial. The treatment consists of: treatment 1, basal diet without M. quinquernervia extract; treatment 2, basal diet with M. quinquernervia extract at 2 mL per litre of water/day; treatment 3, basal diet with Melaleuca quinquernervia extract at 4 mL per litre of water/day; and treatment 4, basal diet with M. quinquernervia extract at 6 mL per litre of water/day. The basal diet was formulated according to the requirements of birds; feed and water were unrestrictedly served. Experimental results showed the major phyto-compounds in M. quinquernervia leaf extract by GC-MS were: α-copaene (607.3 mg g-1), 1-Hexadecanol (85.17 mg g-1), Humulene (78.31 mg g-1), and γ-Terpinene-3-Carene (45.22 mg g-1), respectively. Daily weight gain and daily feed intake improved (p < 0.05) among birds that received M. quinquernervia leaf extract compared to the control. Apparent digestibility of dry matter, crude protein, crude fibre, ether extract, and ash values, which varied from 71.19 – 89.17%, 69.08 – 78.91%, 36.12 – 40.92%, 49.96 – 59.11%, and 35.91 – 50.05%, respectively, were significantly (p < 0.05) influenced by the treatment. In conclusion, feeding quails with Melaleuca quinquernervia leaf extract exerts a beneficial effect on their performance, especially when administered up to 6 ml per litre of water/day without causing any detrimental effect on their health status.
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