CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study Broiler Chickens are already an integral part of human life. Chickens are one of the major sources of animal meat, aside from pork and fish. As a business, they offer an opportunity for people to earn big thats why there are many poultry farm establishments. For successful broiler production, a chick requires good bodyweight, with excellent nutritional reserves at day old. It needs to be in excellent health with a fully functioning immune system. From this starting point, providing the broiler with suitable environment and nutrition will enable optimal performance to be achieved. Chicken broiler and egg production are the most progressive animal enterprises in the Philippines today, the growth of tile poultry industry in the Philippines has indeed been impressive but its problems including inefficient management and the prevalence of many destructive poultry diseases and parasites cannot be ignored (Jose 2011). For many decades, antibiotics have widely been used as growth promoter to enhance growth and the overall performance in poultry and livestock production. The use of antibiotics especially at subtherapeutic levels as a growth promoter has led to the development of bacterial resistance, cross resistance and multiple resistance (Gould, 2008). W.H.O. defined resistance to antibiotics as the ability of the bacterial population to survive the inhibitory effect of an antimicrobial agent resulting from the previous exposure to, perhaps, subtherapeutic levels of the antimicrobial agent. In order for the broiler chickens to have resistance to different diseases, a lot of plan of care for them was introduced.

One form of antibiotic was launched and was conducted as dietary inclusion of Lemmon Grass(Cymbopogon citratus) Leaf Meal (LGLM) extract on growth performances of broiler chickens. According to International Journal of Poultry Science LGLM extract has its utilized viable alternative to natural feed supplement as a form of antibiotic drug resistant bacteria as in the case of antibiotic growth promoters. Lemmon grass has the following therapeutic properties: analgesic, anti-depressant, antimicrobial,antipyretic, antiseptic, bactericidal, diuretic,

fungicidal,insecticidal and nervous system sedative and tonic. (Leite et al., 1986). Though many types of antibiotic exist worldwide, the use of LGLM extract in the Philippines was not yet utilized. Thus, this study aims to determine the effect of lemon grass (Cymbopogon Citratus) leaf meal extract as a potential antimicrobial on the growth performance among broiler chickens . Objectives of the study This study was conducted to validate the result of the previous study on the effect of lemon grass (Cymbopogon Citratus) leaf meal extract as a potential antimicrobial on the growth performance among broiler chickens. Specifically, it seeks to answer the following questions:

1. What is the level of growth performance between two groups of broiler chickens before receiving LGLM extract as Antimicrobial

2. What is the level of growth performance among broiler chickens who received the LGLM extract as a Antimicrobial

3. Which among the two groups of broiler has better level of growth performance, those who received LGLM extract as Antimicrobial or those who did not?

Significance of the Study This study sought to utilize Lemon Grass extract as Botanical Antimicrobials in broilers. The remedies credited to lemmon grass was also stated that some of these advantages can be harnessed and brought to bear generally in livestock production and particularly in broiler production to enhance growth and the overall production performance and thus replace the antibiotic growth promoters. If this type of experiment was adopted, the outcome of this investigation will have practical application of new trend of antimicrobial agent to every farmers. If the results of the experiment are positive, the use of Lemmon grass leaf meal could have the potential for diminishing or even eliminating the adverse effects of using antibiotics and some other biologically active agents as growth promoters. In addition, the use of Lemmon grass leaf meal may also improve feed in broiler production especially as it is quite

conversion ratio and so help reduce feed costs inexpensive and it is abundantly available. Scope and Delimitation

This study will be conducted at Barangay San Pablo , Santa Maria, Pangasinan from November 8 2011 to December 13,2011 with a duration of thirty- five (35) days.

Definition of Terms The following terms used in this research are explained for easier understanding: Lemon Grass: It is specie of grass that has therapeutic content that can be used as human medicine and also alternative for broilers. Extract: A finished product from the lemon grass which can be used as antibiotic for the broilers in this study. Endoparasites: External parasite that can cause disease of the broilers if they penetrate into the intestine. Poultry: These are the feathered animals like broilers and quail. Antibiotic: A solution which can prevent spreading of microorganism in the body. Broiler: A specie of poultry which is a feathered animal used in this study.

CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES According to the Philippine Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (2011) a lot of broilers suffered from flu brought about by the sudden change in weather and temperature and also due to their decreased immune system. The growth of tile poultry industry in the Philippines has indeed been impressive but its problems including inefficient management and the prevalence of many destructive poultry diseases and parasites cannot be ignored (Jose 2011). To ensure continuous production of chicken and eggs, your chickens should be regularly checked by veterinarians to ensure their health. Sick chickens will negatively affect your production, so it is important to have adequate medical coverage for your poultry animals. According to Poultry Hub Development Group located at University of New England, supplements can effectively be utilized to promote growth in poultry and livestock while avoiding the dangerous phenomenon of encouraging drug resistant bacteria as in the case of antibiotic growth promoters.Kumar et al. (2003) also observed that when herbal supplements were included in broiler diets, mortality rates were reduced in the treated groups as compared to the birds fed on control diet. There have been similar experiments with similar results leading to similar conclusions that natural feed. According to International Journal of Poultry Science 2010, okune form of antibiotic was launched and was conducted as dietary inclusion of Lemmon Grass(Cymbopogon citratus) Leaf Meal (LGLM) on growth performances of broiler chickens. According to International Journal of Poultry Science LGLM has its utilized viable alternative to natural feed supplement as a form of antibiotic drug resistant bacteria as in the case of antibiotic growth promoters.

Lemongrass( Cymbopogon Citratus or Andropogon Citratus) is known to have antimicrobial properties that help to avert all kind of viral, fungal and bacterial infections, thus offering a strong resistance against both internal and external microbes. It tenders protection against all kind of microbial infections proven also in human and even in poultry production because of its main constituents of its essential oil which are the Myrcene, Citronellal, Geranyl Acetate, Nerol, Geraniol, Neral, Limonene and Citral which binds during the production of antibodies against the bacteria present on the blood circulation of the chicken. Also, lemon grass has the following therapeutic properties: analgesic, anti-depressant, antimicrobial,antipyretic, antiseptic, bactericidal, diuretic, fungicidal,insecticidal and nervous system sedative and tonic. (Leite et al., 1986). Justifying its name, the Lemongrass smells just like lemon, but it is more mild and sweet. It is not sour to taste. According Organic Facts 2011, essential oil of lemongrass is extracted with the help of steam distillation of dried lemon grass. With all these remedies credited to Lemmon grass it is believed that some of these advantages can be harnessed and brought to bear generally in livestock production and particularly in broiler production to enhance growth and the overall production performance and thus replace the antibiotic growth promoters.

CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY This chapter presents the research design, materials, treatments, procedures, of the experiment, the preparation of lemon grass Cymbopogon citratus leaf extract, feed preparation, feeding management, care and management, and data that were used in this study. Materials The following materials were used in the research in this study: 25 brids Lemon grass leaves Commercial Feeds Laboratory Materials Recording Materials Mortar and Pestle Pail with cover Weighing Scale (10kg capacity) E.M (Effective Microorganism) Black ball pen Broom Cheese Cloth Drinking troughs Strainer Sprayer Disposable Syringe Improvised feeder Vetracin

Research Design A total of twenty five (25) birds were used in this study. They were distributed into five (5) treatments and replicated four (4) times. The Completely Randomized Design (CRD) were used in this study. All observations on each parameter were subjected to statistical procedure using the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) in CRD to determine the levels of significance. Treatments The treatments used were the following: Treatment 1 Treatment 2 Treatment 3 Treatment 4 Treatment 5 Experimental Lay-Out Control 25ml/gal 30ml/gal 35ml/gal Vetracin

T3R1

T5R4

T1R2

T2R1

T4R4

T3R3

T5R3

T1R3

T5R1 T2R4

T5R2 T1R1

T4R1 T3R4

T3R2 T1R4

T2R2

T4R2

T4R3

T2R3

Experimental Procedure Housing Preparation All cages used for the experimental birds were made of screen and bamboo with a length of 12 inches by 18 inches and with a height of 12inches. The housing for the experimental birds was constructed in order to facilitate easy collection of manure and in monitoring for possible adult parasites that were expelled from the experimental birds. Preparation of Lemon Grass Leaf Extract The mature leaves of lemon grass were gathered. The gathered lemon grass leaves were washed thoroughly to remove the dirt and drained for three (3) minutes. The leaves were pounded with the use of mortar and pestle. The pounded leaves were placed in a clean cheese cloth and squeeze manually to extract the juice. The extracted juice was placed in a clean glass container, labeled and stored in the refrigerator to prolong its shelf life. Extraction of lemon grass juice was done twice a week to insure its freshness. Feeding Management Experimental birds were given feed materials like commercial feeds. Feeding was done every 6:00 to 7:30 in the morning and 4:00 to 4:30 in the afternoon, fresh and clean water was made available in all times. Care and Management All experimental birds were given in the same care and management as to feeding, drinking, disease prevention and control for the entire duration of the study. The cages were disinfected by spraying with E.M (Effective Microorganism) at the rate of 10ml per 1 liter of water before placing

the birds. Upon the arrival of the birds, they were weighed and recorded before they were placed in their respective cages.

Data Gathered The gathered were the following: 1. Initial Weight of the Birds in Kilograms. This was be taken at the start of the study by weighing the birds in each treatment replicate and dividing the sum by the number of birds. 2. Final Weight of the Birds in Kilograms. This was obtained by weighing individually the chicken at the termination of the study and dividing the sum by the number of birds. 3. Gain in Weight of the Birds in Kilograms. This was obtained by subtracting the initial weight from the final weight of the birds