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1st Int. Transborder Conf. of the Timor Island: Timor %u2013 Science without borderDili, 7-8 May 202525Enhancing Growth Performance and Meat Quality of Village Chickens in Timor-Leste Through Tamarind Leaf Flour Supplementation in Pelletized DietsMelania D.V. Ferreira, Merlinda F. S.M. Casimiro, Eduardo Aniceto Serr%u00e3o, Graciano S. Gomes*Animal Husbandry Department, Faculty of Agriculture, National University of Timor Lorosa%u2019e, Timor-LesteCorresponding author: graciano_gomes@yahoo.comAbstractVillage chickens are a crucial asset for small-scale farmers in rural Timor-Leste, providing both subsistence and economic opportunities. This study investigates the impact of inclusion tamarind leaf flour (Tamarindus indica L.) into pelletized diets on the growth performance and meat quality of Village chickens or Manu-Timor. The study was conducted from December 4, 2023, to January 28, 2024, at the metabolic cage of the Agricultural Faculty's in Hera Campus. The 54-day trials aim to offer valuable insights into alternative feed ingredients. The primary objective was to evaluate the effects of varying levels of tamarind leaf flour supplementation (2%, 4%, and 6%) in diets composed of yellow corn, soybean, and rice bran on key performance metrics of Village chickens. The Randomized Block Design (RBD) with four treatment groups and four replications, where the trial employed 64 chickens aged 9 to 11 months, with five birds per treatment for robust statistical analysis. Outcomes measured included feed intake, average daily weight gain (ADG), feed conversion ratios (FCR), and organoleptic properties of the meat. The control diet (T0) served as a baseline for comparison. Statistical analysis revealed no significant variations (P>0.05) across treatments; however, observable trends emerged with the following key findings: The control group (T0) exhibited a significantly higher average daily feed consumption of 29.30%u00b15.69 g/head, compared to 27.00%u00b18.31 g/head for the 2% supplementation treatment (T1), indicating a substantial 7.85% reduction in feed intake with supplementation. Notably, T1 showed the highest ADG at 3.21%u00b10.56 g/head, which was 27% greater than the lowest performance recorded in the 6% treatment (T3) at 0.62%u00b10.31 g/head. FCR ranged from 6.99%u00b11.65 (T1) to 8.71%u00b11.06 (T3), showcasing an efficient feed utilization with the 2% and 4% treatments yielding better results. Meat quality analysis displayed a mean cooking loss of 18.55 %u00b1 7.32% and a favourable water-holding capacity of 80.32%u00b15.12%. Sensory evaluation further revealed that around 30% of panelists rated the meat from the experimental groups as notably tender, a significant improvement compared to the control. In conclusion, while tamarind leaf flour supplementation did not result in statistically significant enhancements in overall growth performance metrics, it did demonstrate positive trends in specific parameters and organoleptic qualities of the meat. These findings point to the potential benefits of using tamarind leaf flour as a dietary supplement for improving the quality of village chicken production in Timor-Leste.Keywords: Village chickens, tamarind leaf flour, diet, growth performance, meat quality.