MJAS

Manuscript Details

Nutritional Evaluation of Cattle Rumen Epithelial Tissue Scrapings Meal for Growing Rabbits

Oladunjoye, I. O. ¹* Ojebiyi, O. O.,² Adeleke, J.,¹ and Famakinwa, B. ¹

¹Department of Animal Production and Health,
²Department of Animal Nutrition and Biotechnology, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, P.M.B.4000 Ogbomoso Oyo State, Nigeria.

Malaysian J. Anim. Sci. 2013 16(1): 87-95

Click to view the abstract

An eight week study was conducted in which cattle rumen epithelial tissue scrapings meal (CRETSM) was substituted for fishmeal in growing rabbit diets to reduce feed formulation cost and environmental pollution. One hundred and twenty growing rabbits were divided into six groups of twenty rabbits each which was assigned to six diets that had 0, 20, 40, 60 80 and 100 percent fishmeal in it replaced with CRETSM in a Completely Randomized Design. Data collected were feed intake, weight gain, feed : gain ratio, production cost, carcass characteristics and nutrient digestibility. Data were analyzed by ANOVA. Weight gained by the rabbits fed 0, 20, 40, 60 and 80 percent fishmeal in their diets replaced were similar but were higher (p<0.05) than that fed only CRETSM. Similar trend was observed in carcass weight and protein digestibility. Feed cost decreased with increase level of CRETSM in the diets while production cost was lower for the rabbits fed diets that contained CRETSM. Poor feed utilization was observed in the rabbits fed only CRETSM. Feed intake, organ weights and nutrient digestibility were unaffected. It was concluded that CRETSM can replace 80% fishmeal in growing rabbit diet.