Papaya

The papaya is the fruit of the tree-like plant Carica papaya, of the plant family Caricaceae. C. papaya is native to the Americas and has a long history of its use in traditional medicines, for it's nutritional, digestive, and medicinal properties. Fresh, ripe papaya is one of the richest sources of vitamin C (even more than that found in oranges). It contains several unique protein-digesting proteolytic enzymes, including papain and chymopapain, and is also rich in iron and calcium; a good source of flavonoids (beta-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin and cryptoxanthin), and vitamins A, B and G. Specific applications relating to poultry include:

• Deworming: Papaya latex was shown to result in a 77.7% reduction in eggs per gram of droppings from chickens against Ascaridia galli and Cappilaria spp.
• Antibacterial: Papaya seeds have been shown to be effective against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella aureus, and Pseudomonas aeuroginosa.
• Anticoccidial: Papaya is used for control of coccidiosis by farmers in the Jinja district in eastern Uganda, and local poultry producers in the Katanga province of the Domocratic Republic of Congo. A study conducted on 25 broiler chickens with coccidiosis confirmed the addition of 0.1-0.2% Azadirachta indica and Papaya in powder form, added to the chickens' feed for 6 weeks was beneficial.
• Antifungal: Adding papaya extract may help prevent the overabundance of Candida albicans, a yeast-like fungi known for causing sour crop.
• Antiviral: Papaya is given to chickens suffering from Newcastle disease by farmers in the Jinja district in eastern Uganda. A decoction/cold water extract is prepared using the root and seeds.