A study on growth and carcass performance was conducted to evaluate the effect of Balanites aegyptiaca seed cake meal (BASCM) as a substitute for groundnut cake in the diet of growing rabbit. Five experimental diets were formulated representing the following treatments: T₁, T₂, T₃, T₄ and T₅ respectively. T₁ (0% BASCM) was served as the control diet, while T₂, T₃, T₄ and T₅ contained 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% BASCM respectively. A total of 100 weaner rabbits of mixed breeds were purchased from the National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI), Zaria, Nigeria. The rabbits were fed the control diet during the one week of adjustment period. They were given vitalyte as anti-stress and were dewormed using ivermectin, at the end of one week of adjustment; the rabbits were housed in different hutches and fed their respective experimental diet for one month. Each treatment contained 20 rabbits and these treatments’ (T₁‒T₅) each was replicated in four portions and each portion had five rabbits each. Results showed that all the parameters were significantly different (P<0.05) among the treatment groups. Balanites aegyptiaca seed cake meal can replace groundnut cake at 25% level inclusion without adverse effect on the rabbit physiology.

Keywords: rabbit, growth, carcass, Balanites aegyptiaca seed cake, groundnut cake, evaluation

Rabbit production in developing countries as a means of alleviating world’s animal protein shortage is on the rise. This is attributed to several advantages of rabbit over other livestock in the tropics.¹ It has been reported by Ayinde et al.,² that feed accounted for 65.75% of the total cost of rabbit production and therefore recommended research into alternative and cheaper feeds for rabbits in Nigeria. Balanites aegyptiaca is widely grown in Nigeria. Early studies,³ showed that Balanites offers the most rapid and lowest means of providing adequate supplies of nutrients to the tropical people and their animals. Works on the chemical and nutritional composition of Balanites however, showed that Balanites tree contains chemical compounds namely saponins, tannins, nitrites, coumarines which could elicit deleterious effects in animals when consumed in large quantities. Balanites aegyptiaca have been reported to have anti-inflammatory and analgesic, anthelmintic, antioxidant, ant diabetic, antinoceptic, hepatoprotective, antibacterial and larvicidal activities in animals (Dubey et al), the presence of the phytotoxins in Balanites may limit its intensive utilization in diets for man or livestock. Research on process treatments of Balanites seed cake have been reported to have less of this deleterious material.⁴ when roasting soaking pretreatment is employed. Balanites aegyptiaca being a browse plant has been reported to improve the feeding potential of ruminant animals in the semi-arid.⁵ Therefore, the objectives of this Research is to evaluate Growth and Carcass Performance of Growing Rabbit using Balanites aegyptiaca roasted seed cake as a replacement for ground nut cake.

Experimental design

The rabbits were allocated to four lots with five rabbits each .Each treatment contained 20 rabbits and these treatments’ (T₁-T₅) each were replicated in four portions and each portion had five rabbit. Each treatment (T₁-T₅₎ were replicated four times in a completely randomized design (CRD).

Experimental diets

Four experimental diets were formulated and designated as T₁, T₂, T₃, and T₄ respectively. T₁ (control) contain Groundnut cake as its protein source while T₂, T₃ and T₄ contain 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% Balanites seed cake replacing GNC in the diets. The gross composition of the experimental diets is shown in the Table 1 below.

Growth performance study

Rabbits were weighed individually at the beginning of the experiment and, thereafter, weekly for one month duration of the experiment using weighing scale. Weighing was done before the morning feeding. The parameters determined for the evaluation of growth performance were initial weight (g), average weekly feed intake (g), average weekly weight gain (g) and feed conversion ratio. Weight gain for each animal was calculated by subtracting the initial weight (g) from the final weight (g), while the feed conversion ratio was calculated by dividing the average feed intake (g) by the average weight gain (g) per week.

Carcass evaluation

At the end of the feeding trial, two rabbits per treatment were randomly selected for carcass evaluation. The rabbits were fasted overnight but allowed access to water thus emptying the gut and allow excretion of the undigested feed residue. They were weighed, slaughtered, defurred using flame (singering) and then eviscerated. Individual internal organ (heart, liver, kidneys, lungs, viscera and spleen) were weighed and expressed as percentage of the carcass weight. The dressed carcasses were weighed and dressing percentage was calculated as a percentage of the live weight using the formula.

The carcass was subsequently cut into different portions viz: head, tail, feet, shoulder, rack/ribs, loin and hind legs, weighed on sensitive weighing scale and expressed as percentage of the carcass following the standard procedures described by Njidda et al.⁶

Table 2 revealed photochemical in cake from raw (A1) and roasted Balanites seed cakes (A). Alkaloid from roasted (4.20%), raw cake (29 %) samples shows reduced value however revealing reduce anti–microbial potency for feed use. The saponins content in the A1 and A samples showed a drastic reduction in saponins values. This revealed that in feed formulation, bitter associated compound from Balanites aegyptiaca may be reduced in roasted cake seeds formulated meals. Cake from roasted Balanites aegyptiaca seed cake may not cause hemolytic problem, precipitating and coagulation of red blood cells in animal when use as feed ration. The flavonoid values were low for roasted cake (2.03%) compare with the raw or control sample (13.40%). This confers that cake from Balanites aegyptiaca seed oil may be natural anti-oxidants and also keep feed products longer. Phenol values were low for roasted (10.40%) than the raw sample (108.05) phenol content. Roasting drastically reduced phenol contents of Balanites seed cake hence reducing its anti- nutritional efficacy. The ability of this cake to inhibit microbial growths or activities may be due to alkaloids content in the cake which has traceable microbial and toxicological inhibition on feed.

The result of the Growth performance of rabbits fed with roasted Balanites seed cake replaced with groundnut cake is presented in Table 3. The results showed that all parameters measured were not significantly (P<0.05) different at level of inclusions except feed conversion ration.

Weight is gained as percentage substitution increased significantly. Treatment T₂ (25%) is significantly higher (p>0.05) compared to the control and the other treated samples. However T₅ (100%) was significantly similar with other treatments and treatment T₀ (0%).The observed increase in weight with increased of inclusion of seed cake may be due to high matabolizable energy in the cake compared to the control sample treatment (T₀).

Treatment (T_2, 25%) Balanites inclusion gave significant value at p>0.05 for daily weight gain. Treatment (T₅, 100%) showed a greater value in weight gain on a daily basis which is significantly higher than the treatment T₁, T₃ and T₄ respectively. The low value observed in Treatments T₁, T₃ and T₄ revealed fiber interaction with the meal formulation.^7‒9

The total and daily Feed intake of treatment (T_3, 50%) had the highest value and this was followed significantly by treatment (T_1, 25%). Treatment T₂ showed the lowest total feed intake and daily feed intake ratios respectively. This variation may be due to traces of saponins content or other anti-nutritional factors in the cake.

The feed conversion ration depict that treatment (T_4, 75%) is significantly (P>0.05) greater than treatment T₁ .This increase was followed by treatment T₅ and T₃ percentage treatment respectively. The energy conversion in Treatment T₄ is higher than the other treatments. This conversion and utilization of bio-meal from Balanites may be due to low ant- nutritional factor from process approach on the cake as well as inability to obtain enough energy from the percentage inclusion.

There was no mortality during the growth evaluations period, this maybe because of the bioactive and anti-microbial ingredient inherent in the cake at the process stage.

The result of the carcass characteristics of rabbit fed with Balanites cake as a replacement with groundnut cake is presented in Table 4. There were no significant (P<0.05) differences in the parameters measured except treatment T₁, T₂. Rabbit live weight showed a significant increase in (T_5, 100%) BASM inclusion. This significant increase was followed by treatment T₂m and T₁ .Treatment T₄ revealed low live weight. The low live weight observed may be due to inclusion level and conversion synergy at inclusion and inherent fiber blend utilization,¹⁰ After slaughtering, the carcass weight on treatment T₅, T₁ and T₂ revealed a significant slaughter weight (p>0.05) compare to treatment T₂and T₃.The dressed weight revealed that there were no significant difference for treatment T₁, T₂ and T₅ carcass treatments respectively. This trend was also revealed in carcass weight at (p>0.05) significant level .The dressing percentage further revealed that T₅, T₂ were not significant at (p>0.05) compared to treatments T₀,T₁, T₃ and T₄ respectively .The chest percentage carcass dressed ,thigh, lion and hind leg were significantly different (P>0.05 )from T₅ treatment. This was followed by treatment T₃, T₂ and T₁ percentage inclusion treatments. The organ weight from carcass evaluation showed that rabbit fed with treatment T₅ inclusion as well as treatment T₂ and T₁ were significantly different.

The kidney weight of carcass further revealed that there were no significant difference in kidney weight between T₅ and T₂. The treatments T₅, T₂ were significantly different from treatment T₁, T₃ and T₄ Balanites included samples. This observation may be because of the absorbable nature of protein moieties from the ration treatment compare to treatment T₁

The liver weight showed a high value in treatment T₅ and T₂ .The treatment on T₃ and T₂ are significantly different from other samples. The spleen and heart also revealed similar trend in weight except on treatment T₅ and T₂ which revealed no significant difference. There exit significant difference in spleen and heart for treatment T₁, T₂ and T₄ spleen and heart carcass weight compared to T₀ and T₃and T₅ respectively. This may be due to traces of saponins and alkaloid that may not have been deactivated during Balanites cake roasting, improper roasting.

From the study, Balanites Aegyptiaca, seed cake showed potentials to replace ground nut cake at 25% inclusion with no negative implication or effect on rabbit growth and carcass performance for growing Rabbit.

The authors acknowledged the grant received from The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TetFund) through the Federal University, Gashua, Nigeria that made it possible to carry out this research work.

There is no conflict of interest among the authors.

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