REPLACEMENT VALUE OF BOILED AND FERMENTED SORREL (HIBISCUS SABDARIFFA) SEED MEAL FOR SOYA BEAN MEAL ON THE BLOOD PARAMETERS OF GROWING RABBITS

Résumé

A ten-week feeding trial was conducted to determine the effect of replacing full-fat soya bean meal (FFSBM) with boiled and fermented sorrel seed meal (BFSSM) on the heamatological parameters and serum biochemical indices of growing rabbits. Thirty cross-bred rabbits (New Zealand White X Dutch) between six and seven weeks of age with average initial body weight of 489.80 ± 25g were caged individually and allotted to five (5) dietary treatments. Each treatment was divided into three replicates of two rabbits. The rabbits were given diets and clean drinking water ad libitum throughout
the period of the experiment. In diets 1 (control), 2, 3, 4 and 5 BFSSM replaced FFSBM at 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100%, respectively. The heamatological indices measured were packed cell volume (PCV), heamoglobin (Hb) concentration, white blood cells (WBC), red blood cells (RBC), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular heamoglobin concentration (MCHC) and differential counts; serum biochemical indices such as total protein,
albumin, globulin, glucose, urea and cholesterol were also measured. The haematological parameters indicated that there were no significant (P > 0.05) difference among treatment groups in all the parameters while the serum biochemical indices also indicated no treatments effect (P>0.05) in all the parameters measured except total protein which showed significant (P<0.05) difference among the treatment groups. Treatment 2 had the highest value compared to other treatments with similar values, but did not differ (P>0.05) differ from those fed T3 diet. It was therefore concluded that, 50% of the full-fat soya bean in rabbit diets could be replaced with boiled and fermented sorrel seed meal
without deleterious effect on haematological parameters.