EVALUATION OF DIETS CONTAINING MANCHURIAN WILD RICE (Zizania latifolia) HAY IN RABBITS

The study was carried out at the Rabbit Unit, Teaching and Research Farm of the Department of Animal Production, Adamawa State University, Mubi, to investigate the effects of feeding diets containing Manchurian wild rice (MWR) on rabbits’ growth performance and blood profile. Sixteen (16) New Zealand white bucks were used for the study. They were kept under close observation before the beginning of the trial. The bucks were randomly allotted to four dietary treatments (n=4) in a completely randomised design. Data were collected on weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion ratio and haematological parameters. Most of the results obtained showed significance at a 95% confidence interval. The daily feed intake was higher in 20MWR (26.82 g) while the feed conversion ratio was the lowest in 10MWR (4.51). The cost of feed is reduced with the increased level of MWR. The packed cell volume, haemoglobin and red blood cell values were higher in 30MWR (38%, 12.57 g/dL and 5.2 ×1012/L, respectively) while white blood cell and its differential were all higher in 10MWR. The findings suggest that growing rabbits can be fed diets containing up to 30MWR inclusion level for good growth performance at a lower production cost while maintaining good health. Keywords: Bucks, Feed Efficiency, Feed Intake, Haematology