Vol. 10, Issue 3, Part E (2025)

Author(s): Rameshwar, Manish Meshram, Rajesh Dhakd, Vishwanath and Rajan Singh

Abstract: A study was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary supplementation with Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum) leaf powder on the carcass characteristics and performance of heat-stressed broilers. Seventy-five (75) day-old broiler chicks of the same hatch were reared in a controlled cage system. The chicks were weighed, leg-banded, and randomly distributed into five groups (T0, T1, T₂, T₃, and T₄), each comprising 15 chicks. Each group was further divided into three replicates with five chicks per replicate in a randomized block design (RBD). The chicks were provided 1 sq. ft. per bird in the cage system and fed a standard starter ration from day 1 to 21, followed by a broiler finisher ration from day 22 to 28. The experimental treatments were as follows: T₀ T_1, T₂, T₃ and T₄ which were supplemented 2.0_g 4.0_g 6.0_g and 8.0_g /kg of broiler ration respectively. Weekly observations were recorded for feed intake, feed efficiency, and growth performance over four weeks. The results demonstrated that dietary supplementation with Tulsi leaf powder significantly improved feed intake and feed efficiency. Among the treatments, T₃ (6 g Tulsi leaf powder per kg feed) exhibited the best overall performance in terms of feed efficiency and economic viability, followed by T₄ (8 g Tulsi leaf powder per kg feed).It was concluded that dietary supplementation of Tulsi leaf powder at 0.5% (6 g/kg) enhances the performance of broilers under heat stress conditions, improving feed efficiency and profitability.