Abstract
An 84-day feeding trial was conducted with weaner rabbits to investigate the feeding value of cowpea haulms (Vigna unguiculata) on growth performance and nutrients digestibility. Thirtysix (36) weaner rabbits with initial live weight range of 427.33 – 474.50g were randomly allocated to six (6) dietary treatments and each treatments replicated six (6) times in a complete randomized design. Each treatment was made up of three (3) males and three (3) females with each as a replicate. The rabbits were fed diets with cowpea haulms replacing rice offal at 0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% levels according to treatments T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, and T6 respectively and T1 with 0% cowpea haulms as the control diet. The result of proximate composition and energy values of experimental diets revealed a crude protein value of 16.62% for T2 less than a similar value of 17.50% for T3, T4, T6 and T1 and T5 with a value of 18.38%. Crude fibre values ranged 12.43 to 21.00% increased across T1 –T6 as cowpea haulms (CH) level increased in the diet. Ether extract however decreased from T1 –T6 with increase in the level of CH with moisture following no particular trend. Ash was seen to decrease with increase in the diet CH, dry matter values 89.91% (T1) to 91.77% (T5) and NFE values 56.28 (T1) to 62.82 (T4) were in no particular trend. Also, ME values 3139.59 (T4) to 2731.32% (T1) did not follow a definite trend among the experimental treatments. The final weight (FW) was shown to decrease across the treatments with T1 having the highest final weight. T4 and T6 had the similar final weights. The nutrient digestibility across the six treatments revealed significant (P0.05) different. With these results from this study, it was concluded that, the bulky wastage of cowpea haulms after the seed harvest could be reduced by replacing rice offal with cowpea haulms in rabbit diets as a major crude fibre source. Cowpea haulms had no negative effects on the general growth performance of rabbits. Therefore, it is safe for farmers and feed manufacturers to include cowpea haulms to replace 100% of rice offal as a major source of crude fibre in rabbit diets.
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More From: International Journal of Agriculture, Environment and Bioresearch
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