GROWTH PERFORMANCE OF CROSSBRED WEANER RABBITS FED DEHYDRATED BOVINE RUMEN DIGESTA

Abstract

Twenty four crossbred rabbit of mixed sexes were used to evaluate the effect of different inclusion levels of dehydrated bovine rumen digesta (DBRD) on growth performance, carcass and organ characteristics of weaner rabbits. Four diets were formulated to contain 0% (control), 5, 10 and 15% DBRD. The rabbits were randomly divided into four groups and allotted into four treatments of 6 rabbits each in a completely randomized design (CRD). The trial lasted for 8 weeks. The result showed that the final body weight, average daily weight gain and feed conversion ratio values of rabbits on 5, 10 and 15% DBRD diets were comparable (p>0.05) to those of rabbits on the control diet. The average daily feed intake was significantly (p<0.05) increased as the levels of the test material increased. Nutrient intake by the rabbits were significantly (p<0.05) increased with the increase in DBRD inclusion levels. Apparent nutrient digestibility was affected (p<0.05) significantly by the diets. It was concluded that up to 15% of graded levels of DBRD can be included in the diet of weaner rabbits without any deleterious effect on performance.