Eric Lim Teik Chung, Yee Lyn Ong, Nazri Nayan, Muhamad Faris Ab Aziz, Faez Firdaus Abdullah Jesse, Faizal Andri, Arissara Sopawong
Grass and leaf meals, which include vital phytocompounds, have the potential to be a natural and safe alternative to antibiotics in the poultry industry. Therefore, this study aims to assess Pennisetum purpureum leaf meal and its phytocompounds on the health performances of colored-broilers. A total of 216 unsexed Sasso chicks were assigned to six diet groups. The negative control (T1) received a commercial basal diet without antibiotics, while the positive control (T2) received the same diet with oxytetracycline (100 mg/kg). Groups T3 to T6 received no antibiotics and included P. purpureum meal at 1.25, 2.50, 3.75, or 5.00 grams per kilogram of feed, respectively. The feeding trial was conducted for 8 weeks. Feed intake and body weight were recorded weekly to calculate the feed conversion ratio (FCR). Other measures included intestinal morphology, cecal microbiota, and serum biochemical profiles. The 5.00 g/kg diet (T6) delivered the most consistent gains, showing significant improvements in growth performance, intestinal structure, and cecal microbial composition (P < 0.05). Several blood biochemical markers improved with P. purpureum, with the strongest effects at 5.00 g/kg. Overall, P. purpureum meal at 5.00 g/kg appears to be a practical plant-based alternative to antibiotic growth promoters, supporting better health performance and selected health-related outcomes in tropical broiler systems. © 2026 Chulalongkorn University Printing House. All rights reserved.
Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM Serdang, Selangor, 43400, Malaysia; Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Food Security, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Niversitas Brawijaya, UPM Serdang, Selangor, 43400, Malaysia; Department of Veterinary Clinical Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra, Malaysiabon, Ratchathani University, UPM Serdang, Selangor, 43400, Malaysia; Faculty of Animal Science, Universitas Brawijaya, East Java, Malang, 65145, Indonesia; Faculty of Agriculture, Ubon Ratchathani University, Ubon Ratchathani, 34190, Thailand
