Performance of Grower Rabbits Fed Varying Dietary Levels of Leptadenia Hastata Leaves as Basal Diet

Abstract

An experience was conducted to study the effect of leptadenia hastata leaves on the performance of grower rabbits. A total of twenty-seven grower rabbits of different sexes with an average weight of 1133.5g were randomly assigned to three treatment groups with three rabbits each as replicate in a Complete Randomized Designed (CRD) arrangement. The rabbits were fed L. hastata leaves as basal diets at 0.25 and 50% level of inclution to replace cowpea hay. Parameters measured include body weight, body weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion ratio and mortality. Results showed no significant (p>0.05) difference across the treatment means for all performance evaluated except for rabbits fed 0% L. hastata compared to 7.41 and 7.73 for 25% and 50% L. hastata. Result of the haematological parameters (PCV, WBC, MCH, MCHC and MCV) showed significant difference (p

<0.05) between parameters indicating that L. hastata leaves might have influenced the parameters measured. Significant differences (p><0.05) were observed among the carcass parameters except for weight of head. On the organ relative weight, significance difference (p><0.05) were observed for all rabbits on the treatment groups. It was concluded that laptadenia hastata leaves could be included up to 25% as basal diets for rabbits for improved growth performance and carcass characteristics. >