UTILIZATION OF KITCHEN FOOD WASTES SUPPLEMENTED WITH GARLIC IN THE DIETS OF GROWING RABBITS

The study was conducted to investigate the utilization of kitchen food wastes supplemented with graded levels of garlic as feed additive on growth performance, carcass characteristics and blood profile of growing rabbits. Twenty (20) rabbits (541 to 611 g) were randomly assigned to four (4) treatment groups in a completely randomized design and each treatment had five (5) rabbits. Four diets were formulated with inclusion levels of garlic (0.00, 0.25, 0.50 and 0.75%) designated as treatments 1, 2, 3, and 4 respectably. The results revealed that there were no significant (P < 0.05) differences among the treatments with respect to total weight gain (511.40, 499.20, 488.20, and 476.20), daily weight gain (12.18, 11.89, 11.62, and 11.34) and feed conversion ratio (5.76, 5.59, 5.53, and 5.41). However, total feed intake (TFI) and daily feed intake (DFI) were significantly (P< 0.05) different among the treatments, in which treatment 4 recorded higher total feed intake (2830.60 g) and daily feed intake (67.39 g) compared to other treatments and the least TFI (2576.20) and DFI (61.34) was recorded under control. In terms of carcass weights, a significant (P < 0.05) difference was observed among the treatments in which treatment 4 recorded the highest values (602.00 g) and treatment 1 is the least (506.00). The highest dressing percentage (53.70%) was recorded under treatment 4 and treatment 1 is the least (47.03%). The hematological parameters with the exception of eosinophil were not affected by the treatments, however, total protein, globulin and alanine aminotransferase of serum biochemical parameters were affected by the treatments. The lowest feed cost (N/g gain) was observed in treatment (1). In conclusion feeding kitchen food wastes supplemented with garlic did not adversely affect the growth performance of growing rabbits. Based on result of this study, incorporation of kitchen food wastes supplemented with garlic (at 0.75%) increased feed intake and dressing percentage of growing rabbits and is recommended for rabbit farmers in the study area.