PERFORMANCE RESPONSE OF GROWING RABBITS FED DIFFERENT SOURCES AND LEVELS OF DIETARY FIBRE

Abstract

Two experiments were designed to investigate the effect of source and level of dietary fiber from five agricultural and industrial by-products corn cobs, [CB, Cowpea husk (CPH), Mango leaves (ML), Sawdust (SD), and Rubber seed shells (RSS) (performance of growing rabbits. In experiment 1, rabbits were fed diets wick~ &e mire sources were evaluated at 30% fixed %ewe1 of inclusion. Fifteen rabbit’s 1100g average initial weight of mixed breeds a d sexes were used for each experiment such that three individually aged rabbits seemed as replicates for each dietary treatment. The feeding trial lasted for 56 days. In Experiment 1, weight gains of rabbits on diets containing CC and CPH we= significantly (Pc0.05) higher than those on the other diets- In experiment 5 the superior effect on weight gains were observed for CBN and MI,-fed rabbits. The diets containing the material with the Geist crude fiber level [Sawdust) was the least digestible. However digestibility was not consistently completed with crude fiber content in Experiment 2. Peed and water consumption earn, fiscal output and carcass characteristics were not significantly diced by either level or source of dietary fiber. In Experiment 1, rabbits on me- diets had significantly higher stomach content than those on the other diets. The same
effect was ~lesser~ cord ML and CC-containing die& in experiment 2. On account i body weight changes, it would appear that cowpea husks, mango leaves and cam-cobs are superior to rubber seed shells and sawdust as a fiber source in rabbit feeding.