N. Bernard
Bonair, St. Mark�s, Grenada, West Indies
A. Mohammed
Eastern Caribbean Institute of Agriculture and Forestry, Faculty of Biosciences Agriculture and Food Technology (BAFT), University of Trinidad and Tobago, Caroni North Bank Road Centeno Arima, Trinidad, West Indies
A. Edwards
Eastern Caribbean Institute of Agriculture and Forestry, Faculty of Biosciences Agriculture and Food Technology (BAFT), University of Trinidad and Tobago, Caroni North Bank Road Centeno Arima, Trinidad, West Indies
P. Bridgemohan
Eastern Caribbean Institute of Agriculture and Forestry, Faculty of Biosciences Agriculture and Food Technology (BAFT), University of Trinidad and Tobago, Caroni North Bank Road Centeno Arima, Trinidad, West Indies
ABSTRACT
Leaf and gel extracts of Aloe barbadense are added to the drinking water in local broiler production to reduce mortality and enhance broiler performance. In this study, 420 day-old chicks (Aber Acres) were randomly divided into 7 groups of 60 chicks of mixed sexes of 20 per replicate (3 replicates per group). The experiment used a 2 x 3 x 3 randomized design with three experimental treatments of either Aloe vera (Aloe barbadense) gel T1, T2, T3, or leaf (T4, T5, or T6) and one control. Across the 42-day grow-out period, there were no significant differences (p>0.05) in feed intake (FI), water consumption (WI), average daily gain (ADG), or feed-conversion ratios (FCR) across treatments. At the end of 21 days, however, the lowest FCR indicator of best performance was found in the T6 20 mL-treated leaf extract group. However, both the 20 mL leaf and 15 mL gel extracts were likely to produce birds of similar weights as traditionally formulated feeds for broilers. Therefore, poultry producers should include a moderate level of Aloe vera gel and the highest leaf extracts in the drinking water, as these extracts may prove to be more cost effective than manufactured feeds for optimal broiler performance. It may also be more cost effective for the poultry producer to use the 20 mL leaf and gel extracts as a means of reducing overall mortality. The finding that compounds in Aloe vera foster less bone deposition and greater muscle accretion in female broilers warrants further investigation.
PDF References Citation
How to cite this article
N. Bernard, A. Mohammed, A. Edwards and P. Bridgemohan, 2016. Effect of Aloe barbadense Leaf and Gel Aqueous Extracts During the Starter and Finishing Phases of Broiler Production. International Journal of Poultry Science, 15: 15-20.
DOI: 10.3923/ijps.2016.15.20
URL: https://scialert.net/abstract/?doi=ijps.2016.15.20
DOI: 10.3923/ijps.2016.15.20
URL: https://scialert.net/abstract/?doi=ijps.2016.15.20
REFERENCES
- Akhtar, M., A. Hai, M.M. Awais, Z. Iqbal, F. Muhammad, Ahsan ul Haq and M.I. Anwar, 2012. Immunostimulatory and protective effects of Aloe vera against coccidiosis in industrial broiler chickens. Vet. Parasitol., 186: 170-177.
CrossRefDirect Link - Amaechi, N. and E. Iheanetu, 2014. Evaluation of dietary supplementation of broiler chicks with different levels of Aloe vera as a replacement for antibiotic growth promoter on broiler production in the humid tropics. Int. J. Vet. Sci., 3: 68-73.
Direct Link - Bruno, L.D.G., A. Maiorka, M. Macari, R.L. Furlan and P.E.N. Givisiez, 2011. Water intake behavior of broiler chickens exposed to heat stress and drinking from bell or and nipple drinkers. Revista Brasileira Ciencia Avicola, 13: 147-152.
CrossRefDirect Link - Christaki, E. and P. Florou-Paneri, 2010. Aloe vera: A plant for many uses. J. Food Agric. Environ., 8: 245-249.
Direct Link - Darabighane, B. and S.N. Nahashon, 2014. A review on effects of Aloe vera as a feed additive in broiler chicken diets. Ann. Anim. Sci., 14: 491-500.
CrossRefDirect Link - Darabighane, B., A. Zarei, A.Z. Shahneh and A. Mahdavi, 2011. Effects of different levels of Aloe vera gel as an alternative to antibiotic on performance and ileum morphology in broilers. Ital. J. Anim. Sci., 10: 189-194.
Direct Link - Doley, P., A.S. Singh, S. Gogoi and Neeraj, 2014. Effect of dietary Aloe vera and yeast powder on muscle growth of broiler chicks. IOSR J. Agric. Vet. Sci., 7: 93-95.
Direct Link - Yim, D., S.S. Kang, D.W. Kim, S.H. Kim, H.S. Lillehoj and W. Min, 2011. Protective effects of Aloe vera-based diets in Eimeria maxima-infected broiler chickens. Exp. Parasitol., 127: 322-325.
CrossRefPubMedDirect Link - Durrani, F.R., S. Ullah, N. Chand, Z. Durrani and S. Akhtar, 2008. Using aqueous extract of aloe gel as anticoccidial and immunostimulant agent in broiler production. Sarhad J. Agric., 24: 665-670.
Direct Link - Gous, R.M., E.T. Moran Jr., H.R. Stilborn, G.D. Bradford and G.C. Emmans, 1999. Evaluation of the parameters needed to describe the overall growth, the chemical growth and the growth of feathers and breast muscles of broilers. Poult. Sci., 78: 812-821.
CrossRefDirect Link - Lans, C., K. Georges and G. Brown, 2007. Non-experimental validation of ethnoveterinary plants and indigenous knowledge used for backyard pigs and chickens in Trinidad and Tobago. Trop. Anim. Health Prod., 39: 375-385.
CrossRefDirect Link - Mehala, C. and M. Moorthy, 2008. Production performance of broilers fed with Aloe vera and Curcuma longa (Turmeric). Int. J. Poult. Sci., 7: 852-856.
CrossRefDirect Link - Mehala, C. and M. Moorthy, 2008. Effect of Aloe vera and Curcuma longa (Turmeric) on carcass characteristics and biochemical parameters of broilers. Int. J. Poult. Sci., 7: 857-861.
CrossRefDirect Link - Mohammed, A., 2015. A preliminary investigation in Trinidad on the use of an Aloe barbadense pulp extract in the starter and finishing phases of broiler production. Int. J. Res. Agric. For., 2: 34-38.
Direct Link - Nasr, J. and F. Kheiri, 2012. Effects of lysine levels of diets formulated based on total or digestible amino acids on broiler carcass composition. Revista Brasileira Ciencia Avicola, 14: 249-258.
Direct Link - Olupona, J.A., O.R. Omotoso, A.A. Adeyeye, O.D. Kolawole, A.P. Airemionkhale and O.O. Adejinmi, 2009. Effect of Aloe vera juice application through drinking water on performance, carcass characteristics, hematology and organoleptics properties in broilers. Proceedings of the 98th Annual Poultry Science Association Meeting, July 20-23, 2009, Raleigh, NC., USA., pp: 42-43.
- Sakomura, N.K., F.A. Longo, E.O. Oviedo-Rondon, C. Boa-Viagem and A. Ferraudo, 2005. Modeling energy utilization and growth parameter description for broiler chickens. Poult. Sci., 84: 1363-1369.
CrossRefDirect Link - Tariq, H., P.R. Rao, R.S. Raghuvanshi, B.C. Mondal and S.K. Singh, 2015. Effect of Aloe vera and clove powder supplementation on carcass characteristics, composition and serum enzymes of Japanese quails. Vet. World, 8: 664-668.
Direct Link - Waihenya, R.K., M.M.A. Mtambo and G. Nkwengulila, 2002. Evaluation of the efficacy of the crude extract of Aloe secundiflora in chickens experimentally infected with Newcastle disease virus. J. Ethnopharmacol., 79: 299-304.
CrossRefDirect Link - Wang, C.K., H.Q. Jia, J.M. Tong, W.W. Gao, R.N. Sa and Q. Zhang, 2007. Effect of Aloe powder and extract on production performance and immune function of broiler chickens. J. Fujian Agric. For. Univ. (Nat. Sci. Edn.), 36: 614-617.
Direct Link