Performance of rabbits fed diets containing graded levels of processed tallow (Detarium microcarpum) seed meal

Abstract

A twelve weeks experiment was conducted using eighty one (81) cross bred (Chinchilla x New Zealand white) weaned rabbits with average initial weights of 540g to evaluate the performance of rabbits fed diets containing graded levels of processed tallow (Detarium microcarpum) seed meal. The design of the experiment was 1 + 2/4 factorial and arranged as a completely randomized design (CRD). The rabbits were randomly allotted to nine treatment groups with nine rabbits per treatment. Each treatment had three replicates with three rabbits per replicate. Two processing methods (Cooking and Fermentation) were used to process tallow seeds. Control diet had 100% palm kernel cake (PKC) meal and 0% tallow seed meal, represented as T0. T1 – T4 contained cooked tallow seed meal (CTSM) and included as T1 (75% PKC : 25% CTSM); T2 (50% PKC : 50% CTSM); T3 (25% PKC : 75% CTSM) and T4 (0% PKC : 100% CTSM), While T5 – T8 had fermented tallow seed meal (FTSM) and included at the same levels as observed in the cooked diets. Data were collected on body weight, feed intake, body weight gain, feed conversion ratio, protein efficiency ratio and nutrient digestibility were calculated. Only ash content was affected by the processing method in the result of nutrient digestibility. The results revealed that processing improves the nutritional quality of tallow seeds. Rabbits fed cooked tallow seed based diets revealed higher feed intake, final body weight and body weight gain compared to Rabbits fed diets containing fermented tallow seed. It was therefore concluded that cooking and fermentation methods are effective processing method for eliminating the anti-nutritional factors contained in tallow seeds and so can be included in the diets of weaned rabbits at 100 % replacement of PKC without deleterious effect on their growth performance.

Chemical Compositions of Leaf Protein Concentrate and Bagasse of Pride of Barbados (Caesalpinia pulcherrima) Leaves obtained from three Different Locations in Benin City, Nigeria

“…With the increasing human population in the developing countries of the world, there is competition between man and livestock, as well as industries for available feed ingredients. To optimize food production and meet protein requirement in Nigeria, viable options need to be explored and evaluated (Jiya et al, 2013). Pride of Barbados is a tropical evergreen shrub and belongs to the Fabacae bean family.…”