EVALUATION OF BAKER’S YEAST (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) SUPPLEMETNATION ON GROWTH PERFORMANCE AND CARCASS CHARACTERISTICS OF WEANER RABBITS (Oryctolagus cunniculus)

Abstract

The study was conducted to evaluate the effect of baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) supplement on the growth performance and carcass characteristics of weaned rabbits. A total of thirty –six ( 36) weaned rabbits of mixed sex at 2:1 (2 Females: 1male) were purchased for this study and were randomly allotted into four dietary treatment groups in a completely randomized design. Baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) was used in the formulation of the experimental diets such that T1 contained 0g, T2 contained 20g/kg, T3contained 40g/kg and T4 contained 60g/kg of baker’s yeast respectively. Each treatment was replicated three times with three rabbits per replicate. The trial lasted for a period of 8 weeks. The result revealed significant difference among the growth performance parameters measured, carcass characteristics showed no significant difference except the neck weight that was significantly (p<0.05) different. The values of internal organs and by-products revealed no significant (p<0.05) difference. It was concluded that baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) could be introduced into rabbit diets to enhance their growth performance without any adverse effect on their health status and overall performance.