Effect of Feeding Varying Levels of Sheanut (Vitellaria Paradoxa) Meal on Carcass Characteristics of Weaner Rabbits (Oryctolagus Cunniculus)

Abstract

An experiment was canducted to evaluate the effects of feeding varying levels of shea nut meal (SNM) on the carcass characteristics of weaner rabbits. Twenty (20) weaner rabbits aged four (4) weeks and weighing an average of 0.79 kg were randomly assigned to five treatment groups and fed different diets consisting of varying levels of SNM. Treatment 1(TI) which was the control diet had 0 % SNM while treatment 2(T2), 3(T3), 4(T4) and 5(T5) had 10, 15, 20 and 25 % SNM, respectively. The results showed that, live weight, slaughter weight, eviscerated weight and dressed weight were not significantly (P>0.05) affected by the various treatments. Also, apart from the upper fore limb and lower fore limb which were significantly (P<0.05) affected by the various treatments, the head, backbone, loins, upper hind limb, lower hind limb, intestine and internal organs (heart, lungs, kidney, liver) were not significantly (P> 0.05) affected by the various treatment. It was concluded that varying levels of (SNM) had no significant (P>0.05) effect on the different cuts of rabbits and up to 25 % can be included in the diet of rabbits without any deleterious effect.