Assessment of neem and moringa dietary additives on growth traits and hormonal balance in west African Dwarf bucks

This study demonstrates the effects of neem (Azadirachta indica) and moringa (Moringa oleifera) leaf meal supplementation as feed additives on growth performance, hematological parameters, and hormone metabolism in West African Dwarf (WAD) bucks. Sixteen WA D bucks aged 8 to 12 months were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments (T1 to T4) for 90 days. T1 was the control (basal diet only), while T2, T3, and T4 were fed on the basal diet supplemented with 10% neem leaf meal, 10% moringa leaf meal, and a mixture of 5% neem and 5% moringa leaf meal, respectively. Bucks in T3 (moringa) and T4 (blend) had significantly (P<0.05) greater average daily gain and feed conversion ratio than those in T1 and T2. The bucks in T3 had the highest plasma testosterone concentration (3.52±0.15 ng/mL) and the highest T3 levels (2.21±0.08 nmol/L), both significantly higher than those of the control group (P<0.05). The results indicated that moringa affected growth performance and anabolic or metabolic hormonal status. It is concluded that pure or mixed moringa leaf meal combined with neem may be used as a natural feed additive to enhance this type of small ruminant productivity.