Haematological and serum biochemical indices of rabbits fed different plant protein sources

Abstract

The study was conducted to investigate the effects of feeding different plant protein sources on haematology and serum biochemistry of rabbits. Twenty (20) growing rabbits of mixed breed and sex with an average weight of 847.20g were randomly allotted to four dietary treatments with groundnut cake as treatment 1(T1), Moringa leaves as treatment 2(T2), Cowpea husk as treatment 3(T3) and groundnut haulm as treatment 4(T4) in a completely randomized design (CRD). At the end of the thirteen (13) weeks metabolism studies, blood samples were collected through the jugular vein of the rabbits and emptied into sample bottles containing ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA) and plain sample bottles for haematological and serum biochemical analysis respectively. The result on haematology showed significant (P<0.05) difference among treatment groups for haemoglobin (11.18 g/dL), white blood cell (5.10 x 109), neutrophil (28.33), eosinophil (1.33) and lymphocyte (70.00) with T2 (Moringa leaves) having higher values for WBC, eosinophil and lymphocyte. No significant (P>0.05) difference in red blood cell (RBC). There were significant (P<0.05) differences in Total protein, Aspartate transaminase (AST), Alanine transaminase (ALT), cholesterol, urea and creatinine. Total protein had a range of 59.67 g/l – 72.67 g/l with T1 (Groundnut cake) having significantly (P<0.05) higher value. Results obtained from this study showed that groundnut cake, moringa leaves, cowpea husk and groundnut haulm had no detrimental effect on haematological and serum biochemical indices. Therefore, they can be used in feeding rabbits.