Effect of Sole and Combined Herbal Leaf Meal as Feed Additives on Growth Performance and Morphological Indices of Sexed Pigs

Abstract

Thirty (30) growing pigs were used to determine the effect of sole or combined herbal leaf meal as in-feed antibiotics on growth performance and morphological indices of male and female pigs. The pigs were grouped on weight equalization into 10 treatments of 3 pigs per treatment with one pig serving as replicate. The experimental design is 5 by 2 factorial arrangement, factor A comprised of growing pigs on herbal-mix feed additives (diets without antibiotics or herbs, in-feed antibiotics, moringa leaf meal, neem leaf meal, moringa-neem leaf meal. Factor B is the sexes of pigs (male and female). Initial growth parameters of the pigs were taken at the beginning of the study and subsequent live weight and linear body measurements were taken weekly. Data were subjected to one-way ANOVA using SAS 2000. Results showed that the morphological indices of growing pigs were not affected by sex of the pigs. Body length, loin girth and face length of growing pigs were positively enhanced by sole or combined herbal leaf meal in the ration of growing pigs. The interaction between dietary inclusion of herbal leaf meal and sex had effects on loin girth, face length and thigh width. It can be concluded from this study that dietary inclusion of herbal leaf meal (sole or combined) can serve as an alternative to in-feed antibiotics as similar results were obtained in growth indices and morphological parameters of pigs on herbal and synthetic antibiotics.