Growth response, nutrient digestibility and cost benefit of feeding growing rabbits with selected agro industrial by-products-based diet

Abstract

A feeding trial was conducted to study the growth response, nutrient digestibility and cost benefit of feeding growing rabbits (Chinchilla X New Zealand) of mixed breed and sex fed selected agro industrial by-products-based diets. Five experimental diets were formulated in such that diet 1 had 50% maize with other ingredients to form a standard growing rabbit diet. In diet 2, 3, 4 and 5 maize was totally replaced with wheat offal, maize sievate, brewer's dried grain and rice offal respectively. All the rabbits were exposed to common proprietary forage; Centrosema molle, three hours daily. The experiment was a completely randomised design of three replicates with each replicates having four rabbits. Parameters evaluated were growth performance, carcass characteristics, nutrient digestibility and economic analysis. The results showed rabbits fed control diet had significant (P<0.05) better feed intake, final live weight, weight gain, nutrient digestibility and dressing percentage but with lower (P>0.05) spleen and liver weight. All the rabbits fed on the agro by- products apart from the rice offal had statistically similar (p>0.05) daily feed intake, feed conversion ratio, nutrient digestibility estimates, dressing percentage, spleen and liver weight that were significantly (P<0.05) lower than the rice offal diet. The cost/kg (N) and the cost of feed/ weight gain (N/kg) were significantly (P<0.05) higher in control diet while the least saving on feed to produce 1kg weight (%) was obtained from rabbits on wheat offal base diet. It can be concluded that wheat offal among the selected agro-by-products in growing rabbit diet can give lower cost of production.

Keywords: maize sievate, cost benefit, brewer's dried grain, growing rabbit