Male Layer Chicken’s Response to Dietary Moringa oleifera Meal in a Tropical Climate

SIMPLE SUMMARY: In the egg industry, most slow-growing chicks are usually euthanized at 1-day-old even though it has been demonstrated that they are well-suited to production systems with outdoor access. However, the rearing of these birds, as an option to address the ethical concerns related to their disposal at such an early age, is impaired by high feeding costs. Therefore, it is crucial to evaluate non-conventional feeding materials that could be incorporated into their diets. Moringa is a non-traditional feed for poultry; nevertheless, studies investigating slow-growing breeds’ performance when fed Moringa while given access to outdoors in the tropics are limited. Thus, the current study evaluated slow-growing chickens’ response to dietary Moringa in terms of production performance, carcass yield, and blood parameters. The results revealed that all cumulative traits were not negatively affected by the treatments (except for feed conversion). Additionally, both breast weight and yield and gizzard weight and yield significantly increased with dietary Moringa, while blood parameters remained unaltered. It is concluded that Moringa, as a feed ingredient, could be added to the diets of slow-growing male chickens grown with outdoor access in the tropics to improve productive and carcass traits, but feed conversion could be increased. ABSTRACT: This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different dietary amounts of Moringa oleifera meal (MOM), consisting of leaves and small edible green stems, on growth performance, carcass traits, and blood parameters of finisher male layer-type slow-growing chickens raised with outdoor access. A total of 198 Dominant Blue D 107, 72-day-old male chickens were randomly assigned to tree dietary treatments containing 0, 30, and 60 g/kg MOM that corresponded to T1 or control, T2, and T3, separately. Each treatment was divided into 6 replicates of 11 birds apiece, and all birds had access to the outdoors. After 7 weeks of experimental rearing, live weight was 2218.1, 2164.4, and 2176.6 g for birds raised in T1, T2 and T3, respectively, without statistical differences (p ≥ 0.05). Live weight gain and daily live weight gain increased (p ≤ 0.05) in favor of the control group during the first 4 weeks but decreased (p ≤ 0.05) in the last 3 weeks of the trial. Overall feed intake was not influenced by the treatments (p ≥ 0.05). Birds raised with MOM in their diets had higher feed conversion (p ≤ 0.05). T2 diet considerably increased (p ≤ 0.05) birds’ breast and gizzard weight and yield while decreasing feet weight and yield, in comparison to T1. Dietary MOM inclusion did not impair or improve (p ≥ 0.05) blood parameters. The results of this study suggest that up to 60 g/kg MOM could be included in the diets of slow-growing Dominant Blue D 107 male chickens grown with access to outdoors without compromising their productive performance (except for feed conversion), slaughter characteristics, and health status.