Utilization of <i>Prosopis africana</i> pulp for rabbit feeding: 2. Effects on nutrient digestibility, blood components and carcass characteristics

Abstract

A study was conducted to determine the effects of feeding Prosopis africana pulp (PAP) on nutrient digestibility, haematological indices and carcass components of growing rabbits. The experiment which lasted 10 weeks consisted of thirty (30) rabbits of five to six weeks of age. They were randomly allotted to five dietary treatments in groups of six but caged individually. The PAP replaced maize weight for weight at levels of 0, 10, 20, 30 and 40% in diets I (control), 2, 3, 4 and 5 respectively. The formulated diets contained similar crude protein content of 18%. The apparent digestibility of nutrients, carcass parameters as well as haematological indices were not significantly (P>0.05) different among the treatments. These results indicate that Prosopis africana pulp can completely replace maize in the diets of growing rabbits without adverse effects on nutrient digestibility, carcass components and blood parameters.

KEYWORDS: Prosopis africana pulp, rabbit feeding, digestibility, blood, carcass.