Digestibility of Pelletized Cassava (Manihot esculenta) Leaf Meal Based Diet in Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus)
Paper Details
Digestibility of Pelletized Cassava (Manihot esculenta) Leaf Meal Based Diet in Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus)
Abstract
The study was conducted to determine the digestibility of the formulated ration with different levels of Cassava Leaf Meal (CLM) fed to New Zealand White Rabbits. There were four (4) treatments considered in the study: Treatment 1-0% CLM/Control, Treatment 2-10% CLM, Treatment 3-20% CLM, and Treatment 4-30% CLM. The study was laid out in a Completely Randomized Design with six (3) replications. Before the start of the digestibility trial, the different formulated rations were subjected to proximate analysis. A seven-day digestibility trial was conducted where twelve (12) rabbits were used to serve as experimental animals for the trial. The fecal samples for the whole duration of the trial were collected and oven-dried at 80°C until a constant weight was attained. The dried feces were analyzed for their proximate composition at the Cagayan Valley Integrated Agricultural Laboratory (CVIAL) and the results were used to determine the digestibility of the feed nutrients of the treatment diets. This study revealed that feeding the rabbits with 10% CLM resulted in better digestibility in terms of Dry matter, Crude Protein, Crude Fiber, and Ash. Based from the findings, It is then recommended that CLM at 10% level is a good alternative source of protein in rabbit production. A similar study should also be conducted using other forage materials with high protein content with the same inclusion levels on their digestibility.
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