IMMUNE POTENTIAL OF RABBITS FED DIETS CONTAINING GRADED LEVELS OF CASSAVA PEELS- GRIT-MORINGA LEAF BLEND AS REPLACEMENT FOR MAIZE

Abstract

Immune system of animal plays essential roles in disease resistant ability and it depends on factors like diet among others. While diet is influenced by the available feed ingredients, it has prompted the search for alternative feed sources leading to the exploration of agro-industrial by-products and unconventional feed materials like cassava peels and moringa leaves. The study determined the immune potential of rabbits. An 8-week feeding trial was carried out on forty mixed sex grower rabbits. They were randomly allotted to four diets containing cassava-peelgrit-moringa-leaf blend at 0%, 25%, 50% and 75% replacement for maize. At 6th week three rabbits were selected from each treatment for white blood cell and the differentials analyses. At week 7, three rabbits which weight represented the group average were sacrificed for carcass analysis. Data were collected on fur, spleen and liver weights. All data were analyzed using ANOVA and significant means were separated using Duncan multiple range test. Results of white blood cell (6.37-7.77 x 109 /L), differentials, weight of fur (45.00-103.33g), spleen (4.45– 7.30g) and liver (50-60g) showed no significant (p>0.05) variations with diets. The study concluded that use of cassava-peel-grit-moringa-leaf blend as replacement for maize had no adverse effect on the immunological properties of rabbits.