ABSTRACT

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of composite cassava meal (CCM) on the growth performance, digestibility coefficient, nitrogen retention and economics of production of weaner rabbits. The rabbits were fed formulated diets containing CCM at 0%, 10%, 20%and 30% graded levels of inclusion. The experiment was arranged in a completely randomized design. Each treatment was replicated 3 times and one rabbit represented a replicate. The rabbits, averaging 1.03kg each, were aged 6-8 weeks. They were fed ad-jib ilum throughout the rearing period of 84 days. There were bi significant difference among all the treatments in final live weight (2.06-2.34kg) daily weight gain (12.30-15.7!) feed conversion ratio (2.58-3.19), and protein efficiency ratio (1.62-1.80). Average daily feed intakes for Treatment 2 (39.70g), 3 (40.5(g) and 4 (40.62g) were similar but significantly higher than that of the control (Treatment 1, 36.47g). In digestibility of nutrients, significan differences existed only in crude fibre and crude protein. Thirty percent (30%) CCM based diet depressed crude fibre digestibility (52.88%) hut encouraged the best digestibility of crude protein (85.50%). Diets containing 0%, 10% and 20%CCM had similar digestibility coefficients for crude fibre, while crude protein digestibility increased as the CCM inclusion increased. Nitrogen retention also increased as the level of CCM inclusion increased. 30%CCM-based diet had the highest retention followed by 20% CCM based diet while 0 — 10% had the lowest nitrogen retention. Cost per kilogramme feed (N) and cost per unit weight gain decreased as CCM inclusion increased while the gross margin (N) increased as CCM inclusion increased.

TABLE OF CONTENT PAGE

Title Page

Certification

Declaration iii

Dedication iv

Acknowledgement v

Table of Content vi

List of Tables viii

Abstract ix

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTiON

1. I General Over View 1

1.2 Statement of Problem 3

I .3 Aims arid Objectives 3

1 .4 Justification 4

ClEANER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

2. 1 Rabbit as Unique Animal 5

2.2 Rabbit Nutrition 6

2.3 Nutrient Requirement Of Rabbits 8

2.3. 1 Protein Requirement Of Rabbits 8

2.3.2 Energy Requirement of Rabbit 9

2.4 Effects of Fibre on Nutrient Utilization 10

2.5 Potentials of cassava as animal feed 11

2.6 Cassava Root Meal as Feed 11

2.7 Cassava Peel Meal as Feed 14

2.8 Cassava Leaf Meal as Feed 17

2.9 Cassava Stem Meal as Feed 19

2.10 Whole Cassava Meal as Feed

2.11 Cassava Toxicity

2. 12 Progress in the Use of Cassava and Cassava Products

CHAPTER 3

MATERIALS AND METHODS

3.1 Experimental Site

3.2 Experimental Animal

3.3 Housing and Equipment

3.4 Experimental Diets

3.5 Experimental Design

3.6 Methods of Data Collection

3.7.1 Digestibility And Nitrogen Retention Frial

3.8 Methods of Analysis

3.9 Economic Analysis of Production

3. 10 Methods of Calculation of Apparent Digestibility Coefficient of Nutrients

And Nitrogen Balance

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

4.1 Proximate Composition

4.2 Growth Performance

4.3 Apparent Digestibility of Nutrients

4.4 Nitrogen Balance

4.5 Economic of Production

4.6 Conclusion

4.7 Recommendation