Abstract
Growth and efficiencies of food conversion and N retention of chicks were reduced severely by the inclusion of leaf meal from Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) (LLM) at rates of up to 400 g kg-1 in semi-purified diets. However, a whole leaf (WL) form harvested in 1977 was less toxic than a powdered form harvested in 1979 and produced by grinding pelleted Leucaena leaf (GP form). Apparent metabolizable energy (AME) values of the two forms were calculated from determined AME values of the LLM diets. Classical and nitrogencorrected AME values of the WL form of LLM were 2.4 and 2.8 MJ kg-1 dry matter respectively. Classical AME values for the GP form ranged from 2.2 to 2.7 MJ kg-1 dry matter, but nitrogen-corrected values were higher and more variable, ranging from 3.3 to 4.0 MJ kg-1 dry matter.
