EVALUATION OF GASTRO INTESTINAL TRACT MORPHOLOGY OF BROILERS SERVED WITH DIFFERENT LEVELS OF MANGO LEAVES (MANGIFERA INDICA) EXTRACT IN DRINKING WATER

This study investigated the effects of extracts of Mangifera indica leaves obtained by different extraction method on gastrointestinal tract morphology of broiler chickens. The research was conducted at the poultry research unit of Animal Production Technology Department, Audu Bako College of Agriculture Danbatta Kano. Sixty (60 day old) broiler chicks were used in this study and the chicks were housed in pens under deep litter system. Feeders and Drinkers, heat, lighting were provided to the chicks during the management. Feed and water were offered ad. libitum through out the period of the study. The 60 day old Chicks were divided into 4 groups as treatment (T1, T2, T3, T4) in a completely randomized design. Each group having 15 chicks replicated 3 times . T1 was served as control with no inclusion of mango leaf extract. (MLE). T2 was served with 100ml mango leaf Extract, T3 with 200ml (MLE) and T4 with 300ml (MLE) Respectively. The study lasted at six weeks age of the broiler chicken and the inclusion of the (MLE) were started at 2 weeks age. The mango leaves were collected from Mango tree in the college premises cleaned and processed in blender. The mango leaf extract collected was used for the study. The data collected were average length and width of ileum, duodenum and caecum of the broiler chckens. The data collected was subjected to analysis using SPSS(version23) package. The results has shown a significant increases in lengths across all the treatment groups with the corresponding increases in width of the organs measured. Conclusion: The upward increases in lengths and width of the organs was an indication that MLE has no detrimental effect on the study chickens. This further indicated that the MLE may not have anti-nutritive factors at the levels that may hamper the normal physiological and anatomical functions the broiler chickens internal organs. Recommendation : There is need for conducting more researches using bark or roots extracts from Mango or any other multipurpose trees and herbs.