Male Layer Chicken’s Response to Dietary <em>Moringa oleifera</em> Meal in a Tropical Climate

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different dietary amounts of <i>Moringa oleifera</i> 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 (<i>p</i> ≥ 0.05). Live weight gain and daily live weight gain increased (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.05) in favor of the control group during the first 4 weeks but decreased (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.05) in the last 3 weeks of the trial. Overall feed intake was not influenced by the treatments (<i>p</i> ≥ 0.05). Birds raised with MOM in their diets had higher feed conversion (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.05). T2 diet considerably increased (<i>p</i> ≤ 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 (<i>p</i> ≥ 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.