Abstract:
A twelve week study was conducted to evaluate the performance and carcass quality of rabbits
fed diets supplemented with varying levels of pumpkin stem waste (PSW). 36 crossbreed
(California x New Zealand white) weaned rabbits aged 6 to 7 weeks were divided into three
treatment groups of 12 rabbits each with 4 rabbits per replicate and randomly allotted to three
dietary treatments. The treatments were basal diet (D1); basal diet plus 5% PSW (D2); basal diet
plus 10% PSW (D3). At the end of 12 weeks, 18 rabbits were slaughtered to determine the
effects of the treatment on the live weights, dressed weights, dressing %, prime cuts (thoracic
cage, forelegs, hindlegs and loins), internal organ weights, meat protein, percentage fat, muscle
and bone. Results obtained indicated that feed intake increased significantly (P<0.05) with
increase in level of PSW even as weight gain, meat protein, muscle , bone, dressing% and fat
decreased significantly (P<0.05) as PSW increased. However, as dietary PSW increased, fat
decreased significantly (p<0.05). No significant difference (P>0.05) in terms of the prime
cutsand organ weights. These results suggest that supplementing rabbit diets with dietary PSW
could enhance feed intake, reduced fat and caused no adverse effect on carcass characteristics |
