GROWTH PERFORMANCE AND CARCASS CHARACTERISTICS OF GROWING RABBITS FED DIETS CONTAINING MAGGOT MEAL AS REPLACEMENT FOR SOYBEAN MEAL.

Abstract

The growth performance and carcass characteristics of growing rabbits fed diet containing maggot meal as replacement for soybean meal was investigated in a 56days feeding trial. Thirty unsexed mixed breeds (New Zealand white x California) rabbits were allotted on weight equalization basis into five dietary treatments where a standard basal diet (soybean meal without maggot meal) served as control (Diet 1) while diets 2, 3, 4 and 5 had soybean meal replaced with maggot meal at 25, 50, 75 and 100% levels respectively. Six rabbits were used per treatment having three replicates of two rabbits each. Feed and water were offered to the rabbits unrestrictedly. Performance parameters were collected weekly and carcass measurement was done at day 56. The growth parameter depicts significant difference (p<0.05) in the total feed intake (TFI), daily feed intake (DFI), total weight gain (TWG), daily weight gain (DWG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR). The best FCR was noticed on diet 5. Meanwhile, all carcass parameters except the heart and spleen were significant. The highest value 0.85% of the lungs was observed on diet 4 but this does not depict any detrimental effect of the dietary composition. The highest dressing percentage (71.01%) was observed in treatment 5 while the least 56.06% was seen in the control (diet 1). No mortality was recorded across all the treatments.