Performance of rabbits on guinea grass and verano stylo hays in the dry season and effect of concentrate supplementation (original) (raw)
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Rabbit, a non-ruminant animal with high reproductive potential and space requirement, is preferred by rural households for poverty alleviation and improved nutrition. Yet, much attention has not been given to luxuriant soil tolerant forages in rabbit production especially in small holder areas despite their nutritional value and potential in feeding rabbits. Therefore, twenty (20) cross bred weaner rabbits aged between 5-6 weeks with an initial weight ranging between 459.00g and 512.50g were used to investigate the performance and nutrient digestibility of rabbits fed diets containing mixture of grasses, legumes and concentrate. They were randomly assigned to five treatment diet with two replicates of two (2) rabbits per pen in a completely randomized design. The experiment lasted eight weeks. Five experimental diet were selected, Diet T 1 was Panicum maximum supplemented with grower mash, Diet T 2 contained Andropogon gayanus supplemented with grower mash, Diet T 3 constitute Calopogonium mucunoides with grower mash, Diet T 4 include centrosema pubescens and grower mash while Diet T 5 was the control experiment containing concentrate feed without any forages. The types of forages used in this study have effect on the nutrient intake of rabbits, dry matter and ash digestibilities. It was observed that final weight gain and daily feed intake are significantly (P<0.05) affected by experimental diets. For all the parameters considered, Treatment 4 (T4) had the highest value for final weight (1423.00g), average weight gain (925.50g) and daily weight gain (16.52), followed in rank was T 3 and T 5 rabbit respectively. Average weight gain (804.50g) of T 3 rabbits and T 5 (756.50) were not significantly different (P>.0.05). The lowest final weight and average weight gain of 1047.50g and 547.50g was observed in T 2 (rabbits fed Andropogon gayanus). The best feed efficiency was observed for T 4 (2.58). It can be concluded that incorporation of legumes like centrosema pubescens and grass like Panicum maximum is a good combination as a substitute for concentrated diet in rabbit feeding without any adverse result. The duo hiltherto are recommended in feeding regime for sustainable rabbit production.
African Journal of …, 2010
Thirty-five (35) grower crossbred rabbits were randomly allocated to seven combinations of concentrate, grass and legume in proportions of 50 g:60 g:40 g in a completely randomized design. The treatments were: (1) rabbit meal, Rhodes grass and groundnut haulms (RRG), (2) rabbit meal, Rhodes grass and sweet potato vines (RRP), (3) rabbit meal, Rhodes grass and soybean forage (RRS), (4) Soybean cheese waste meal, Rhodes grass and groundnut haulms (SRG), (5) Soybean cheese waste meal, Rhodes grass and sweet potato vines (SRP), (6) Soybean cheese waste meal, Rhodes grass and soybean forage (SRS) and (7) rabbit meal and Rhodes grass (RR) constituted the control. The control consisted 100 g rabbit meal and 100 g Rhodes grass, which was the normal feeding regime. Diet had a significant effect (P<0.05) on feed intake of grower rabbits. Rabbits on RRS had lower feed intake compared with the other groups. There were non-significant (P>0.05) differences in daily weight gain for all the treatments. Feed cost/kg gain was, however, higher for rabbits fed RRP combination compared with the other treatments. Dry matter digestibility was higher (P<0.05) in SRP, SRS and SRG and lowest in RRP. Crude protein digestibility was significantly (P<0.05) higher in RR, RRS and SRS than RRP, while nitrogen free extract digestibility was significantly (P<0.05) higher for SRG, SRP than the control (RR) and RRS. Crude fibre and ether extract digestibility were similar for all the treatment groups. The combination of concentrate, grass and legume shows promise in the reduction in the cost of production of grower rabbits.
2017
Thirty mixed sex cross breeds (chinchilla x California x New Zealand) weaner rabbits aged 4 weeks old were used to evaluate the effect of graded levels of browse forage (Balanites aegyptiaca) leaves inclusion in the diets of growing rabbits on growth performance and nutrient digestibility of weaner rabbits. Five diets were formulated, treatment 1 (control), 2 3 4 and 5 in which Groundnut haulm was replaced with Balanites aegyptiaca at 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% respectively. The rabbits were allotted to the five treatments (T1, T2, T3, T4, and T5) with two rabbits per replicate and six rabbits per treatment in a randomized complete block design. The rabbits were fed with the experimental diets and clean drinking water ad libitum for experimental period of eight weeks (56 days). All the parameters under observation showed significant (P<0.05) difference among the treatment groups. In conclusion Balanites aegyptiaca leave meal can replace groundnut haulm without adverse effect on th...
International Journal of Research Studies in Agricultural Sciences, 2016
Twenty weaned chinchilla rabbits of mixed sexes aged between 8 to 9 weeks were randomly allotted to five different dietary treatments with four rabbits per treatment. Each rabbit was used as a replicate. Three tropical grasses and leaves from two forage plants were used to prepare the test diets. The leaves were obtained from Myrianthus arboreus and Gmelina arborea; two common forages and the tropical grasses used include; Tridax procumbens, Pannicum maximum and Pennisetum purpureum. Parameters studied include average weekly feed intake, average weekly weight gain, feed conversion ratio and feed efficiency ratio. The study was carried out in the rabbit section of the Faculty of Agriculture Research and Teaching Farm of the Delta State University Asaba Campus, Delta State Nigeria, located at 6 0 14'N and 6 0 49'E. The forages were fed with a concentrate diet separately and the feeding ratio used was 2:1. Significance was reported at 5% level of probability and the means were separated using Duncan's Multiple Range Test Procedure. Significant (P<0.05) differences were observed for all parameters measured between all the test materials. Variations in average feed intake and average weight gain were observed and values obtained were within the ranges of reported values.
Comparative Responses of Weaner Rabbits to Concentrate Diets Supplemented with Different Forages
An experiment was conducted to assess the effect of different forages on performance of rabbits fed concentrates diets. Three different forages i.e cashew leaves, cassia leaves and digitaria leaves were fed to rabbits with control diets which contain concentrate only. The forages were supplemented at the morning and afternoon (100g) each. Forty eight rabbits of mixed breeds and sexes were randomly allotted to four experimental diets. There are twelve rabbits per treatment replicated six times (two rabbits per replication) in a completely randomized design (CRD). Results showed that daily feed intake (74.37-84.88g), daily weight gain (16.37-24.05g) and feed conversion ratio (3.29-5.30) were affected by the different types of forages (P<0.05). Live weight (978.64-1190.40g), dressed weight (42.95-53.22%) and ceacum weight (2.15-3.09%) were affected by the different types of forages (P<0.05). The blood parameters affected by the different types of forages include white blood cells (8.00-8.55%), blood platelets (33.15-53.70%), ASAT (32.00-35.00) and ALAT (32.00-35.00) (P<0.05). Considering the results of this study the different forages influence the performance of rabbits, however Digitaria spp has better performance characteristics compared to other forages and concentrate based diet. Introduction The acute shortage of animal protein in developing countries like Nigeria is quite alarming. Daily intake of 35g recommended by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO, 1992) has not been met. The level of consumption of animal protein in Nigeria is estimated at 8g per day which is about 27g less than the minimum requirement by World health organization (Obioha, 1992). The rapid increase in the cost of animal protein source has now put it out of the reach of most Nigerians (Maidala and Istifanus, 2012).There is therefore, an urgent need to increase livestock production in the country especially those that are highly prolific with rapid turnover rate at very low cost. This brings the rabbit (Oryctolagus cunniculus) into focus, as it forms a very important aspect of livelihood for socio economic reasons. Rabbit production has been noted to be one of the best means of alleviating the prevailing low animal protein consumption in developing countries due to certain characteristic of rabbits and rabbit meat (Taiwo et al., 2005; Maidala and Istifanus, 2012). The rabbits thrive on wide range of fresh or preserved grasses, shrubs and leaves (Carew et al., 1989; Bamgbose et al., 2004). The rabbit is also a very efficient converter of feed to animal protein and the meat is very nutritious, easily digested, extremely low in cholesterol and sodium and contains more protein and less fat, when compared to various other meats. The production of animals like rabbits, with very short gestation periods and production cycles, can be a solution to the problem of protein shortage. The advantages projected include
2021
The effect of sun-dried Stylo hay (Stylosanthes guianensis cv CIAT 184) level in complete pellet diet was studied on growth and slaughter performances of local hybrid rabbits in Côte d'Ivoire. Four diets containing 0% (control: Sg0), 10% (Sg10), 20% (Sg20) and 30% (Sg30) of Stylo respectively were produced and distributed ad libitum to 4 batches of 12 rabbits from weaning (35 d, mean weight: 613 ± 29 g) to 91 days old. Rabbits receiving the Sg30 diet had the best daily weight gain of 30.4 g / d (+ 16%, P <0.001) and the highest feed intake (+ 7%, P <0.001) compared to the control Sg0. Feed conversion rate was better with the Sg20 and Sg30 diets (-0.45, P <0.001) compared to the control diet. Animals' health was not affected by Stylo incorporation rate in the diet. In addition, the cold carcass weight was better with the Sg20 and Sg30 diets compared to the control (+12%, P <0.001). It was concluded that sun-dried Stylo hay could be incorporated in rabbits complete pelleted feed up to 30%, as source of fibres.
Prediction of the nutritive value of lucerne hay in diets for growing rabbits
Animal Feed Science and Technology, 1995
Fifty-one New Zealand WhiteXCalifomian rabbits were used to evaluate apparent in vivo dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), energy, nitrogen (N), neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and amino acid digestibilities of five luceme hays varying in chemical composition. Hays were ground and pelleted and given as sole feeds throughout the experiment. In vitro DM, OM, NDF and N digestibilities of feed samples were also determined. A ruminal incubation trial was performed to determine NDF disappearance of luceme hays in nylon bags. The type of luceme hay had a large effect on its nutritive value. The range of variation for digestible energy (DE) and digestible crude protein (CP) contents and for NDF digestibility was 6.4-9.2 kJ g-', 114-164 g kg-' and 0.204-0.276, respectively. The type of luceme hay also atTected lysine, methionine and threonine digestibilities. Stepwise regression analysis showed that the best single predictors for energy, CP, NDF and amino acid digestibilities were dietary NDF and non starch polysaccharide (NSP ) contents, rumifial NDF degradability after 48 h of incubation and CP digestibility, respectively. Regressions using only chemical components as independent variables were also calculated. The results of this study showed that in vitro methods and prediction equations determined for mixed diets and concentrated ingredients need to be adjusted to estimate nutritive value of forages in rabbits.
Sun-dried Stylo Hay (Stylosanthes guianensis CIAT 184) as Dietary Fibre Source in Rabbits
Indian Journal of Animal Research, Volume 57 Issue 11: 1512-1516 (November 2023)
Background: In West Africa, one of the main problem of rabbit production is the lack of fibre-balanced feeds available at remunerative price, as the supply of fibrous raw material remains difficult. Expensive fibrous raw materials imported from temperate countries are the most fibre source used in rabbit feed formulation. This study aimed to assess the nutritive value and the potential use of Stylosanthes guianensis CIAT 184, a local fodder, as dietary fibre source in rabbit feed. Methods: Four diets containing an inclusion of Stylo hay: 0% (control, SH0), 15% (SH15), 30% (SH30) and 45% (SH45) as a substitute for the control diet (33.3 g NDF and 170 g CP/kg) were studied. Four groups of 12 rabbits, individually caged, were fed ad libitum the 4 diets, from weaning (35 days) to 78 days age. Result: Replacing up to 45% the basal diet with Stylo hay reduced nutrients digestibility (P<0.001). The digestible protein (DP) contain of Stylo hay was 36±0.57 g/kg DM. The inclusion of Stylo up to 30% in the diet improved animals growth rate compared to the control diet. Health status and slaughter traits were not affected by Stylo incorporation. It was concluded that sun-dried Stylo hay could be considered as a good fibre source in the complete pellet feed for rabbits in West Africa.
GROWTH PERFORMANCE AND BLOOD PROFILE OF WEANER RABBITS FED DIFFERENT LEGUMES HAULMS SUPPLEMENTED WITH CONCENTRATE, 2019
A study was conducted to evaluate the effect different forage haulms supplemented with concentrate on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility and blood profile of weaner rabbits. Thirty (30) cross bred weaner rabbits (Chinchilla x Newzealand white) were divided into five groups of six rabbits on equal weight basis and the groups allocated to five dietary treatments consisting of Tridax procumbens haulms (T1), Centrosema pubescens haulms (T2) cowpea haulms (T3), soyabeans haulms (T4) and groundnut haulms (T5) in a completely randomized design for eight weeks. Feeding was done at 5% body weight of the animals such that the rabbits were fed forage haulms at 2.5% body weight and concentrate basal diet at 2.5% body weight in the morning at 08.00hr. Results showed that, final body weight and total body weight gain of rabbits fed T1, T4 and T5 diets were higher than those fed T2 andT3 diets. Rabbits fed T2 and T3 diets recorded poor feed conversion ratio and total body weight gain. The dry matter intake of animals fed T2 and T3 diets was significantly (p>0.05) improved compared to those on other treatment diets. Rabbits fed T1, T4 and T5 diets recorded significant (P<0.05) higher crude protein digestibility. The result of the haematological and biochemical indices were not significantly (P>0.05) affected by dietary treatment. It was concluded from the study that Tridax procumbens haulms, soyabeans haulms and groundnut haulms gave better performance than Centrosema pubescens haulms, cowpea haulms when fed to rabbits in addition to concentrate diet.