Synergetic Effect of Cassava Sievate/Soybean Milk Residue Mixtures as Replacement for Maize in Growing Rabbits Diet

Abstract

The grain replacement value of  cassava sievate/soybean milk residue (CS/SBMR) mixtures was investigated in a  56 days feeding trial using thirty two (32) cross bred rabbits of mixed sexes with average weight range of 546.38 ± 30.76 and 560.88 ± 29.020g. Four diets were formulated as follows: Diet 1 without inclusion of CS/SBMR served as the control. Diets 2, 3, and 4 had  CS/SBMR mixtures replacing  corn of the control diet at 25, 50 and 75 % respectively. The animals were randomly distributed to the four dietary treatments. Each treatment had eight animals with each rabbit serving as a replicate in a completely randomized design experiment. Results showed that there were significant differences (P<0.05) in the final live weight, daily weight gain, feed to gain ratio, daily feed intake, feed cost per kg (?) . Diets with CS/SBMR mixtures had similar (P<0.05) average daily weight gains of 12.85 ± 1.81, 11.55 ± 0.39 and 11.26 ± 1.18 for T2, T3 and T4 respectively which are higher (P<0.05) than 9.96 ± 1.21 of the control. The digestibility of nutrients shows that the dry matter, crude protein as well as ether extract digestibilities across the treatments were similar (P>0.05) for rabbits in treatments 1, 2 and 3 but higher (P<0.05) than rabbits in treatment 4. Rabbits fed 50 % inclusion level of CS/SBMR had the lowest (P<0.05) cost per kg weight gain (N152.77/kg weight gain). The heamatological parameters measured were not affected by dietary treatments. Relative kidney and liver weights were not affected (p>0.05) but the dressed carcass, dressing percentage, heart, lungs and spleen were affected (p<0.05) by dietary treatments.  Inclusion of cassava sievate/soybean milk residue mixtures in the diets of growing rabbits enhanced growth, reduced cost of production and is thus recommended for use by resource poor farmers to partially replace the expensive conventional maize.

Keywords: cassava sievate, soybean milk residue, growing rabbits, performance