Abstract

Mitigating post-weaning mortality and stabilizing weaned pups at early age using medicinal plants such as Gongronema latifolia and Carica papaya leaf supplements are essential to increase weaners’ appetite for solid feed intake. Farmers inducing weaners with these supplements to accept and feed on solid feeds beyond their shock to ingest solid feeds soon after weaning guarantee the livestock body weight gain that precedes the expected survival rates. The study, therefore, investigated the feed intake, body weight gain and survival rates of weaners fed Gongronema latifolia and Carica papaya leaf supplements. A true experimental research design was adopted for the study. The experiment lasted for 10 weeks with initial 2 weeks of adaptation. The sixty-weaner pups sampled were exposed to three experimental groups that formed three colonies. The groups were randomly assigned to three experimental diets containing 10% Gongronema latifolia supplements, 10% Carica papaya supplements, and 5% Gongronema latifolia and 5% Carica papaya leaf supplements. The results showed that weaners fed with diet comprising 10% Carica papaya leaf supplements had significant (p < 0.05) performances than weaners on other treatment supplements. The weaners on 10% Gongronema latifolia leaf supplements diet had the least feed intake, Feed Conversion Ratio, body weight gain, and survival rates. Based on the results, the inclusion of Carica papaya leaf supplements at 10% level resulted in greater weaner performance and consequently well thought out for preventing digestive health disorders in weaners.