Abstract
The study investigates the effects of composites of selected tropical leaf meals and garlic on laying hens using performance, hormonal, reproductive tract morphometry, and folliculogenesis as response criteria. Fresh (bitter, moringa, scent, and neem) leaves were harvested, air-dried, and mixed with garlic powder in a ratio of 4:3:1:1:1, respectively to produce the garlic-composite leaf mix (G-CLM). A basal diet was prepared, divided into five equal portions and G-CLM was added at 0gkg-1, 5gkg-1, 10gkg-1, 15gkg-1, and 20gkg-1. Two hundred and seventy, 18 weeks old ISA Brown breed were randomly allotted to the five experimental diets and the trial lasted for 4 months. The results showed that hen-day production was highest at 5gkg-1 supplementation. All reproductive hormones measured were also significantly (p<0.05) influenced by the dietary treatments with the exception of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). The result showed that significantly (p<0.05) larger Preovu one (2.79 cm) and previtellogenic count (23.33) were observed in birds fed 5 gkg-1. In addition, the heaviest tract weight (46.67 g) and ovary weight (33.00 g) were observed in birds fed 20 gkg-1. It was concluded that the usage of G-CLM at 5 gkg-1 could be encouraged in layer nutrition with the aim to improve the clutch size.