EFFECT OF SEX ON BODY LINEAR MEASUREMENTS OF RABBITS FED SWEET POTATO (Ipomoea batatas) LEAVES

Abstract

The study was conducted to determine the effect of sex on body linear measurements of rabbits fed sweet potato vines. A total of fifty-four weaner rabbits (7 weeks old) made up of three breeds comprising twenty-seven males and twenty-seven females each that were procured from the National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI), Vom, Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria were used for the experiment. These comprised 18 each (9 males and 9 females) of New Zealand, Dutch and Chinchilla breeds, and were assigned using Completely Randomized Design. The rabbits were managed using standard procedure. Data collected were Body and neck length, body length, body width, heart girth, leg length, neck length, tail length and ear length. Data collected were analyzed using SPSS statistical package version 21. Results obtained indicated that sex had no significant (P>0.05) effect on all the parameters at weeks 1, 3 and 6 except for heart girth, leg length and neck length where male rabbits had significantly (p<0.05) higher values. From the results obtained, it can be concluded that both male and female rabbits can be raised on sweet potatoes without any negative effects on their linear body measurements.