Utilization of Moringa oleifera Lam. in animal production

Moringa (Moringa oleifera Lam.) is commonly known to Filipinos as "Malunggay". This tree is abundant in the rural areas, and is a rich source of digestible protein, vitamins and minerals, which are essential components of animal feeds. Thus, it has great potential as feed resource, especially for livestock and poultry smallholder farmers. Using livestock and poultry species, feeding experiments were conducted to determine the effects of moringa on the growth performance of goats and broiler chickens; and on the laying performance of chickens and quails and on the quality of their eggs. A grass-legume (60: 40) diet consisting of para grass (Brachiaria mutica) in combination with either moringa or Ipil-ipil (Leucaena leucocephala) or katuray (Sesbania grandiflora) were fed to goats for 60 days. Dry matter intake was measured daily, while the body weight (BW) was measured monthly. Dry matter intake was higher in goats fed with para grass and moringa (P<0.05), which resulted in higher weight gains (P<0.05). In other experiments, moringa leaves and seeds in different preparations, i.e., fresh, extract and meals were investigated in poultry. Effects on egg production, egg weight, and percentage of broken eggs, yolk color and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were assessed in quail and layer chickens, while the influence on live weight and return on income were evaluated in broiler chickens. Egg production was higher, while egg weight was heavier, yolk color was darker and the FCR was better in layer quail supplemented with 5% moringa leaf meal (All, P<0.05) as well as in White Leghorns provided with 100 mL moringa leaves extract added L-1 of water (P<0.05). On the other hand, the supplementation of moringa seed meal in the diet of Babcock layers reduced the percentage of broken eggs (0.017 vs. 0.032; P<0.05). Meanwhile, the ad libitum feeding of fresh moringa leaves to broiler chickens, did not affect body weight gain; however, the net income per bird increased by 6 Philippine pesos. Based on the findings, moringa leaves and seeds can be used as a supplement in the diet of livestock, layers and broilers because it increased production performance and income, and improved the quality of eggs produced.