Nutrient Intake, Digestion And Utilization By Rabbits Fed Cowpea Hull And Soybean Hull Based Diets

ABSTRACT

A study involving two experiments was conducted to investigate the growth

performance of rabbits fed diets containing graded levels of cowpea hull

(CPH) and soybean hull (SBH). Thirty-two weaner rabbits of about 6 weeks

old were used for the study. In experiment1, sixteen 6-week old hybrid

(Chinchilla x New Zealand white) weaner rabbits of both sexes with initial

average weight of 730-790g were randomly divided into four groups of 4

rabbits each. The groups were randomly assigned to four treatment diets

containing 0, 10, 20 and 30% levels of cowpea hulls. Each treatment group

was replicated four times with a rabbit constituting a replicate placed in a four

–tier rabbit cages that had a total of 16 hutches per tier. In experiment two, 16

six-week old hybrid (Chinchilla x New Zealand white) weaner rabbits of both

sexes with initial average weight of 730-790g were randomly divided into four

groups of 4 rabbits each. The groups were randomly assigned to four treatment

diets containing 0, 10, 20 and 30% levels of soybean hulls. Each treatment

group was replicated four times with a rabbit constituting a replicate placed in

a four –tier rabbit cages that had a total of 16 hutches per tier. The experiments

lasted for 8 weeks during which the daily feed intake body weight gain, feed

conversion ratio, protein efficiency ratio and feed cost per kg weight gain were

determined. The haematological parameters, digestibility coefficients, carcass

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and organ weights were also determined. Results (experiment I) showed that

while increasing levels of CPH in the diets had no significant effect (P>0.05)

on the average daily feed intake, daily protein intake and protein efficiency

ratio, they had significant effect (P0.05)

differences were observe among rabbits in daily feed intake and average daily

weight gain. The effect of treatments on nutrient digestibility coefficients were

significant (P