Vol. 9, Issue 12, Part I (2025)

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of graded levels of Moringa oleifera leaf powder (MOLP) on cecal microbial load and livability of commercial broiler chickens. A total of 160 day-old broiler chicks were randomly allotted to five dietary treatments, each consisting of four replicates of eight birds (32 birds per treatment). The treatments included a control diet (T₁) and four diets with 0.5% (T₂), 1.0% (T₃), 1.5% (T₄) and 2.0% (T₅) MOLP inclusion, fed for six weeks. MOLP inclusion significantly reduced (p<0.001) cecal bacterial load, with the lowest total aerobic bacteria (7.122 log₁₀ CFU/g) and lowest E. coli count (5.284 log₁₀ CFU/g) recorded at 1.5% inclusion (T₄) compared with the control (7.325 and 5.776 log₁₀ CFU/g, respectively). Livability ranged from 93.75% to 100%, with 100% livability observed in birds receiving 1.5% MOLP (T₄), although differences among treatments were statistically non-significant (p>0.05). The results indicated that dietary inclusion of Moringa oleifera leaf powder, particularly at 1.5%, effectively suppresses harmful cecal bacteria and supports improved survivability in broiler chickens.