The need to reduce cost of production of meat animal has necessitated the use of plant materials with medicinal properties as feed additives capable of minimizing the influence of pathogenic microbes and improving performance of the animal. This study investigated the effect of such medicinal plant materials Garcinia kola on the growth performance and the haematological parameters of 20 weeks old rabbits. Thirty six rabbits of mixed breed and mixed sexed were used for the experiment, which lasted for eight weeks (56 days). The rabbits were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments: T 1 with no (0%), T 2 (2.5%), T 3 (5%) and T 4 (7.5%) of G. kola inclusion. The rabbits were housed in 2m × 1m × 1m cages per three rabbits in a 4 × 3 CRD experimental design whereby each treatment had three replicates, with each replicate having 4 rabbits and each treatment comprised 12 rabbits. During the eight week period of the experiment, feed and water were given ad libtum and while similar managerial and sanitary measures were applied for all the animals. Daily feed intake and growth performance of animals in each unit were monitored. At the beginning and the end of the experiment, blood samples were collected from the ear and analyzed for haematological parameters Hb, PCV, RBC, WBC and Plasma proteins). The result showed that G. kola has significant effect on the feed intake, growth rate, haemoglobin, PCV, RBC, WBC and Plasma protein. The feed intake decreased in all rabbits on G. kola treated feeds; numerical values obtained were 332 ± 0.32, 285 ± 0.52, 288 ± 0.12 and 262 ± 0.33 g/week for treatment 1, 2, 3, 4 respectively. Weight depression was also observed similarly in all the rabbits on Garcinia treated feeds with T2 having weight loss of 0.36 ± 0.11, T30.35 ± 0.12 and T4 0.64 ± 0.10kg. Rabbits on Garcinia treated feeds also have lower Hb, PCV, Plasma proteins and higher WBC and RBC compared to the initial values showing G. kola. G. kola appear to contain substances which depress feed intake and growth performance and the effect seem to increase with higher concentration. However, the RBC and WBC increased, it is therefore recommended that the use of G. kola should be at low levels of inclusion or intermittently not continuous.Key words: Garcinia kola, growth performance, rabbits. INTRODUCTIONTraditional animal healthcare practices involving use of some materials and herbal preparations called ethnoveterinary medicine is fast gaining grounds in the livestock industry especially in African and Asian countries (Ebenebe et al., 2010; Ojelade, 2015) as they provide readily available and low cost alternative to orthodox medicine. Of the herbal drug, the use of garlic (Allium sativum), ginger (Zingiber officinale), neem tree leaves (Azadiractha indica) and most recently bitter kola (Garcinia kola) have been reported in livestock health care management (Ebenebe et al., 2010; Esonu 2006, Owen and Amakiri 2013and Obun et al., 2013. Garcinia kola is a dicotyledonous belonging to the family Guttiferae or Clusiaceae and is widely...

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Twenty-eight day feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the performance of broiler finisher fed soybean hull based diets supplemented with “Safzyme®”, an exogenous cellulolytic enzyme. Soybean hull also referred to as soyhull, soybean millrun or soybean flakes are by-products of the soybean milling industry. Five broiler finisher diets were formulated such that the diets contained soybean hull meal at 0%, 10% and 20% dietary levels (without enzyme supplementation) and 10%, and 20% dietary levels (with 1.0% enzyme supplementation) respectively. One-hundred and fifty (150) four-week-old Hubbard broiler chicks were divided into five groups of thirty (30) birds each and randomly assigned to five treatment diets in a completely randomized design (CRD). Data were collected on feed intake, body weight gain, feed conversion ratio and economics of production was also computed. Feed intake increased progressively as dietary inclusion of soybean hull was increased with or without enzyme supplementation. This increase became significant (P<0.05) at 20% dietary level of soybean hull. Daily body weight gains of birds on soybean hull meal diets with enzyme supplementation did not significantly differ (P<0.05) from birds on soybean hull meal diets without enzyme supplementation. Feed conversion ratio and feed efficiency were both significant (P<0.05) at 20% dietary levels of soybean hulls with or without enzyme supplementation. Dietary inclusion of soybean hull without enzyme supplementation reduced cost of feed and production of 1kg of meat while enzyme supplementation negatively affected percent feed cost savings. The results of this trial suggest that supplementation of diets containing soybean hull meal at 20% dietary levels with Safztme®, an exogenous cellulolytic enzyme, at 10% dietary level could not improve the nutritive value of the hulls for broiler finisher birds and also affected negatively percent feed cost saving.

A feeding trial was conducted with the aim of improving the nutritive value of Canavalia plagiosperma seedmeal (CPSM) for broiler starter rations. One hundred and fifty kilogram (150kg) of Canavalia plagiosperma seeds were cracked and thereafter divided into three batches. Two batches were soaked in water while the third batch was soaked in alkaline solution (2 % palm bunch ash by weight of the cracked seeds) in different plastic containers for 48 hours, before draining off the soaking solutions. The first, second and third batches were boiled in different pots for 1 hour, 2 hours and 1 hour respectively. They were separately sundried for 4-5 days and milled to produce cracked soaked in water and boiled for 1 hour (CSWB1), cracked soaked in water and boiled for 2 hours (CSWB2) and cracked soaked in alkaline and boiled for 1 hour (CSABI), Canavalia plagiosperma seedmeals (CPSM) respectively. The meals were used to formulate seven broiler starter rations at 0%, 10 % and 20% dietary inclusion, levels, respectively (Table 3). Each of the seven broiler starter rations was fed to a group of 42 one-week-old broiler chicks for 28 days, to evaluate the performance of the birds and economic implications. There were significant differences (P<0.05) in daily feed intake, daily body weight gain and feed conversion ratio. Results from this trial suggests that CPSM could be included in broiler starter diets up to 20 % without adverse effect if cracked, soaked in water and boiled for an hour: