Abstract
Two experiments were carried out to determine the nutritional feeding value and the performance of rabbits fed with diets including Leucaena leucocephala (LL) and Leucaena leucocephala cv. Cunningham (LC) hay. Digestible dry matter, digestible protein and digestible energy contents based on the total dry matter were respectively, 19.13% and 30.87%; 9.04% and 7.77% and 897 and 866kcal/kg for LL and LC. In the performance experiment, 132 rabbits of White New Zealand breed from 40 to 90 days of age were used. The rabbits were distributed in a completely randomized design with 11 treatments, six replicates of two animal per experimental unit. The treatments consisted of a reference diet and other 10 diets where LL and LC hays had replaced in 15%, 30%, 45%, 60% and 75% the alfalfa hay on crude fiber basis. Rabbits performance were not affected during the experimental period with LL and LC hay inclusion levels. The results showed that the Leucaena leucocephala and Leucaena leucocephala cv. Cunningham hay replaced efficiently the alfalfa hay in diets for growing rabbits.
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