PROXIMATE COMPOSITION OF SCENT LEAF, SIDA ACUTA AND EFFECTS OF SOLE AQUEOUS EXTRACTS ON GROWTH PERFORMANCE OF COCKEREL

The study was conducted to determine the proximate composition of scent leaf, Sida acuta and effect of oral administration of sole aqueous leaf extracts the two medicinal plants on growth performance of growing cockerels. One hundred and thirty five (135) 26-day old cockerel chicks were randomly distributed into 5 treatment groups of 3 replicates per group. Fresh scent leaves were air dried for few days and sundried for 1 hour. Sida acuta leaves were dried for 2 hours daily for 5 days. The leaves were pulverized to coarse powder with an electric blender. The Sida acuta leaf powder (100g) was soaked in 1L distilled water for 18 hours. Fifty grams (50g) of scent leaf powder in conical flask was soaked in 1000ml distilled water. After homogenization of the mixture of the leaves with distilled water, it was left for 12 hours, thereafter it was sieved with muslin cloth to obtain the aqueous leaf extracts. A corn soybean meal-based diet was the basal diet used for the study. Oral administration of antibiotics (Gali Fura Care Plus®) and coccidiostats (Q-Cox®) were given to birds in the control. Other experimental birds were offered aqueous leaf extracts of scent leaf and S. acuta. Cockerels that were offered aqueous leaf extracts of 25ml/L and 50ml/L scent leaf in drinking water were in T1 and T2, respectively. Oral administration of aqueous of Sida acuta at 20ml/L and 40ml/L were given to birds in treatments T3 and T4, respectively. Data were collected on growth parameters and feed intake.Data were analyzed using One-Way Analysis of Variance of SAS (2000) software package. The results showed that the crude protein of Sida acuta leaf content was slightly higher (21.44%) than that of Sida acuta leaf (18.52%). Scent leaf had higher crude fibre (17.60%) and 13.10% ash content than that of Sida acuta leaf (14.43% and 10.20%). The phytate content (100.96mg/100g) obtained in Sida acuta leaf was higher than 80.27mg/100g in scent leaf. The aqueous leaf extract of 40ml/L S. acuta (99.09mg/100) was higher than that of aqueous leaf extract of 25ml/L scent leaf (56.61mg/100g). Oral administration of aqueous leaf extracts did not significantly (P>0.05) influence the measured parameters for growth at starter phase. Oral administration of aqueous leaf extracts of scent leaf and Sida acuta significantly influenced feed conversion ratio (P=0.038). Grower cockerels offered 25ml/L aqueous leaf extract of scent leaf had the best FCR of 1.90. The most impaired feed conversion was observed in cockerels offered 20ml/L aqueous leaf extract of Sida acuta. Although, final body weight of the cockerels tended to be significantly (P=0.063) influenced with cockerels offered 50ml/L aqueous leaf extract of scent leaf having the highest final body weight of 981.94/bird. It is hereby recommended that aqueous leaf extract of 25 ml/L of scent leaf should be given to cockerels as alternative to antibiotics and coccidiostat for improved feed conversion ratio.