Comparative Effects of Ocimum sanctum Leaf Meal and Antibiotic Growth Promoter on Growth Performance and Carcass Traits of Broiler Chickens

Kumar, K., Kumar, D., Kumar, S., Singh, P.K. and Sinha, R.R.K. 2025. Comparative effects of Ocimum sanctum leaf meal and antibiotic growth promoter on growth performance and carcass traits of broiler chickens. Animal Nutrition and Feed Technology, 25: 381–390. This study was intended to determine the comparative effects of Ocimum sanctum leaf meal (OSLM) and antibiotic growth promoters (AGP) supplementation on growth performance and carcass traits in broiler chickens. One hundred forty-four day-old unsexed broiler chicks (Cobb-400) were divided into four different treatment groups. T1 served as control, T2 were fed basal ration with OSLM at 1%, T3 offered basal ration with OSLM at 2%, T4 offered basal ration with AGP (Virginiamycin) at 0.0025% for 42 days of experiment. The OSLM was prepared in the laboratory using freshly collected O. sanctum leaves and stored appropriately for daily use. It was administered to the birds through topdressing over the feed at the time of feeding. All birds were reared under standard managemental practices throughout the experimental period. There were no significant differences found between the T3 and T4 groups in growth performance and feed efficiency, but both groups showed improvement over the control group. Notably, the T3 group showed a 6.43% improvement in feed conversion ratio (FCR) compared with the control, while improvements in FCR were also observed in the T4 (5.20%) and T2 (3.40%) groups. Carcass characteristics and meat chemical composition remained unaffected by the dietary treatments. However, improved FCR, feed intake and growth performance in the birds supplemented with 2% OSLM, followed by those in the virginiamycin group, highlights the economic advantage of using Ocimum sanctum as a natural growth promoter in broiler production.