Vol. 1, Issue 2, Part A (2016)

Author(s): Oluwafemi RA and Iliyasu A

Abstract: Eight weeks feeding experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of replacing maize with Dried Rumen Digesta (DRD) with or without enzyme supplementation on the haematology and serum chemistry of weaner rabbits. Thirty six weaner rabbits between 4 and 5 weeks old were randomly allocated to six dietary treatments of six rabbits per treatment in a Completely Randomised Design (CRD). There were three replicates of two rabbits each. DRD replaced maize at 0%, 12.5%, 25% levels. There was no significant difference (P>0.05) among the WBC values of the experimental animals and the values were within the normal range for Rabbits. There were significant differences (P<0.05) in the RBC and the PVC among the treatments. The Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin Concentration (MCHC) values of T3 and T5 showed no significant differences (P>0.05). The result also showed significant differences (P<0.05) between T2 and the rest diets. The protein concentration, Cholesterol, ALT, AST and potassium levels showed no significant differences (P<0.05) among the treatments. In conclusion, the study suggested up to 25% DRD replacement.