WEANER RABBITS

The study investigated the economy of feed conversion of weaner rabbits fed diets in which soybean meal (SBM) was partially replaced with Guinea grass (Panicum maximum) leaf meal (GGLM). Rising feed costs, especially for conventional protein sources like soybean meal, have prompted the exploration of locally available and low-cost alternatives to enhance the profitability of rabbit roduction. Twenty weaner rabbits aged 4–6 weeks were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments containing 0%, 10%, 20%, and 30% GGLM as replacement levels for SBM in a completely randomized design, with five rabbits per treatment. The diets were formulated to be iso-nitrogenous and iso-caloric, and the feeding trial lasted ten weeks. Parameters measured included feed intake, weight gain, feed conversion ratio (FCR), cost of feed consumed, cost per kilogram weight gain, total production cost, and net profit. Results indicated that inclusion of GGLM up to 20% did not significantly affect growth performance or FCR compared to the control diet. However, feed cost per kilogram decreased progressively with higher inclusion levels of GGLM, with the lowest feed cost and highest net profit recorded at 30% inclusion. Economic analysis showed that substituting GGLM for SBM substantially reduced feed costs without adverse effects on productivity at moderate inclusion levels. The study concludes that partial
replacement of soybean meal with Guinea grass leaf meal (up to 30%) in weaner rabbit diets is economically advantageous and supports efficient feed utilization. It is therefore recommended for smallholder and commercial rabbit producers as a cost- effective strategy for improving profitability and sustainability in rabbit production systems.

The study was conducted to evaluate the performance of weaner rabbits fed diets containing Guinea Grass Leaf Meal (GGLM) as a replacement for soybean meal. The experiment aimed to determine the effects of substituting soybean meal with varying levels of GGLM on growth performance, feed intake, feed conversion efficiency, and protein utilization in weaner rabbits. A total of twenty (20) weaner rabbits of mixed breeds, aged between 6–8 weeks and averaging 820 g in weight, were randomly allocated to four dietary treatments containing 0%, 10%, 20%, and 30% GGLM, respectively. Each treatment was replicated thrice with two rabbits per replicate in a completely randomized design (CRD). Diet 1 (0%) served as the control with soybean meal as the primary protein source, while soybean meal was progressively replaced with GGLM at 10%, 20%, and 30% in diets 2, 3, and 4 respectively. Data were collected on average initial and final live weight, weekly feed intake, weekly weight gain, weekly protein intake, feed conversion ratio, and protein efficiency ratio. The results indicated that the inclusion of GGLM had significant (p<0.05) effects on the performance parameters of the weaner rabbits. Average final live weight decreased slightly with increasing inclusion of GGLM, ranging from 1628.40 g in the control to 1528.80 g at 30% inclusion, while weekly feed intake and weekly weight gain followed a
similar trend, decreasing as GGLM levels increased. The feed conversion ratio (FCR) improved at moderate inclusion (20%), indicating better feed utilization at that level, while the protein efficiency ratio (PER) was highest at 20% inclusion, suggesting that
rabbits efficiently utilized dietary protein at moderate levels of GGLM replacement. However, at 30% inclusion, performance declined, possibly due to increased fiber content and reduced digestibility of the diet.