Growth Performance of Weaner Rabbits Fed Cowpea Based Rations as Protein Source

摘要

The study was conducted to investigate the effect of varying levels of cowpea in maize diets on the performance of weaner rabbits. Twenty-four mongrel rabbits of both sexes, 4 - 5 weeks old with an average weight of 624g were randomly distributed to four dietary treatments with six rabbits per treatment for 42 days. The four diets were formulated using cow peas which had been dehulled and fermented for 24 hours as a way of reducing antinutritional factors. The control Treatment 1 contained 18% CP from soybean while Treatments 2, 3 and 4 had 10% CP, 15% CP and 20% CP respectively based on cowpea. Clean cool water was offered ad libitum and feed offered and eaten was recorded daily. The rabbits were weighed weekly to determine body weight changes. Rabbits fed on diet 2 had significantly (p< 0.05) lower feed intake compared to other diets. Rabbits fed on diet 1 gained significantly (p< 0.05) more weight (500g) than rabbits fed on diet 2 (180g) after 5 weeks. The results indicate that cowpea can be used safely as a protein source in rabbit diets at inclusion level of up to 20% CP provided it is well processed.