Histological profile of jejunum and liver of mallard duck fed with madre de agua (Trichanthera gigantea) leaf meal

This study aimed to evaluate the morphology of jejunum and liver of improve Philippine mallard duck fed with madre de agua (Trichanthera gigantea) leaf meal within 14 weeks of feeding trial.A total of 225-day-old ducklings were assigned at dietary levels of 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12%.Mallard ducks were fed following the recommended feeding guide for mallard ducks and provided water ad libitum throughout the experiment.Jejunal segment of the small intestine and liver were collected using a scalpel blade by making a 2-cm thickness transverse cut and near of its margin, respectively.Samples collected were fixed and stored in 10% formalin solution for over 24 hours and 5-micron thick hematoxylin-eosin-stained sections were prepared following paraffin embedding and histological processing.Data on growth performance and histological evaluation were recorded.Data gathered were subjected to analysis of variance of Completely Randomized Design.Based on the results of the study, the inclusion of madre de agua leaf meal on the intestinal villi of mallard ducks did not affect significantly in terms surface area of villi, however, significant differences in the crypt depth were observed.The results are in congruence to final body weight, gain in weight and FCR.On the other hand, the microscopic evaluation of the liver of improved Philippine mallard ducks had no observed pathological changes which shows that the madre de agua have no toxic component that can cause damage to the liver with prolonged feeding.The use of madre de agua leaf meal is safe as feed ingredient, hence recommended.The leaf meal can be included in the improved Philippine mallard ducks' diet without any detrimental effects on their health performance.However, further research is needed to include the use of commercial duck feeds to compare and to obtain a more conclusive result.