Ojebiyi O.O., Oladunjoye I.O., Eso I.R.
Abstract
A feeding trial was conducted using Twenty four (24) cross-bred male weaner rabbit of between 629.3-630.75g to study the response of grower rabbits to diets that contained
mixtures of cassava peel meal (CPM) and leaf meal (3:2) in replacement for maize. Three experimental diets were formulated such that diet 1 which was the control had no cassava
peel / leaf meal mixture. Diet 2 had 50% maize of the control diet replaced with cassava peel / leaf meal mixture with methionine supplementation while diet 3 was similar in
composition with diet 2 but without methionine supplementation. The rabbits were divided into three groups of eight rabbits each and randomly assigned to the three diets in a
completely randomized design with each rabbit serving as a replicate. Data were collected on feed intake, weight gain, feed: gain ratio, economy of production,
haematological characteristics, nutrient utilization and internal organ weight. Data were analyzed using general linear model, results showed that final live weight and
average weight gain of diets 1 and 2 (1579.5g, 11.21g,and 1476g,10.98g) respectively were similar while the values obtained for those fed diet 3(1347.50 and 9.33g) were
singnificantly (p < 0.05) lower. Rabbits that were fed diet 1 and 2 were also superior to those fed diet 3 in terms of feed utilization as reflected in the feed:gain ratio
(5.01and 5.41vs 6.57). Rabbits fed CPM/CLM mixture (diets 2 and 3) had higher dry matter and crude protein digestibility than the control group. However the organ weights
of the animals were not affected by the dietary treatment diets. Although the Lymphocytes, neutrophils and eusinophils values did not follow any particular trend they were
significantly affected. Production cost was significantly (p < 0.05) reduced by substitutions of CPM/CLM mixture for 50% maize in grower rabbit diet when supplemented with
methiomine.
Key words:
Rabbit buck, cassava leaf, cassava peel, methionine supplementation, performance