CHAPTER ONE
1.0 Introduction
The global food crisis situation is no more news. The shortage in food production with increase in population growth brings about the current food crisis. In animal agriculture, feed accounts for a major proportion of the entire cost of production. Livestock Production is the most significant among all classes of agricultural production that serves as means of livelihood for human production that serves as means of protein provision (Omo-Akeju 2010).
In Nigeria, feeding in livestock industry has always posed a problem to producers. This subsequently leads to the high cost of producing the much needed animals protein by man (Omuniyi and Jokham, 2009). Livestock farming provide a method by which rapid transformation in animal protein consumption can be achieved in the tropics (Alade et al., 2002).
It is also a known fact that only a small proportion of protein in the diets of Nigerians is derived from livestock products. Animal protein, as important as it is to human feed is however not produced sufficiently to meet the dietary requirements of the teeming population of Nigeria. According to Ani and Okafor (2004), solution to this problem depend on the production of fast maturing animals with the use of cheap and locally available feedstuffs. One of such animals is the rabbits.
Nutritionally, rabbit meat has a higher protein (20-21%), low calories (1749kcal/kg) and low fat content (10-11%) when compared with meat from most livestock species.
Rabbits meat has a low cholesterol value of 169mg/100g (dry matter basis) when compared with beef (200mg), chicken (220mg) and pork (223mg) and low sodium content (Janieri, 1987). In spite of these attributes, rabbit meat production still remain at a low level due to high cost of conventional feed and competition between man and livestock for the available feed ingredients. This has challenged animal nutritionists for the past two decades to search for alternative feedstuffs for monogastric animals (Alemede, et al .,2013).
Efforts to reduce the high cost of feeds and therefore the cost of poultry and other monogastric products have concentrated on the use of cheaper and locally available alternative agro-by products especially those that have no nutritional value to mankind (Onu, 2007, Onu and Otuma, 2008, Okonkwo et al., 2008, Oladunjoye and Ojebiyi, 2010). Furthermore, the need to maximize the economic and environmental benefits in disposal of slaughterhouse by-products (NAVN, 1994, Aniebo et al 2009) also stimulated a renewed interest in the investigation of slaughterhouse by-products for possible use as protein feedstuffs in livestock feeds. Incorporation of such products in poultry feed would help in alleviating the problem of the scarcity of feed supply that is having a negative effect on livestock industry most especially monogastric animal production. Its usage will also reduce pollution problems.
Animal protein is very important to human beings. This claims the fact that they are better utilized than those from plants origin. Besides, they have dietary essential amino- acids such as: tryptophan, cystein and lysine are adequate in plant for protein (Olagbegi, 2005). Protein is also important because it is needed for growth, maintenance and repairs of tissues and good productive performance of animals (Faniyi, 2002).
Animal protein contains essential amino acids, which are more balanced and readily available to meet human nutritional needs than plant protein. In an attempt to search for alternative sources of animal protein, there is an urgent need to explore the potentials of non-conventional protein sources that do not compete with human food consumption. One such alternative feedstuff, which is not only cheap but also locally available, and does not attract competition in consumption between humans and livestock, is the Dried Bovine Rumen Digesta.
Dried Bovine Rumen Digesta (RD) is an abattoir by product that offers a tremendous potential as a cheap and locally available alternative feedstuffs for livestock. Rumen content is a waste with disposal problems only that it is high in crude fibre ; hence the feeding of enzyme for degradation of the high fibre level of rumen content. It has been used in Nigeria to feed poultry (Adeniyi and Balogun., 2001, 2002; Odunsi, 2003; Adeniji and Jimoh, 2007) rabbits (Dairo et al., 2005; Togun et al., 2009) and ruminants (Salinas-Charina et al., 2003; Rios Rincon et al., 2010) as a cheap unconventional feedstuff to reduce feeding costs and alleviate pollution problems without any reported deleterious clinical effect on animal health and performance.
1.1 Justification of Study
Rabbit feeding in Nigeria remains traditional and rudimentary. Diets of rabbits in Nigeria are primarily forages, grasses and legumes supplemented with kitchen waste and agricultural byproducts. Forages such as Panicum maximum (guinea grass), Pennisetum purpureum (Elephant grass), Tridax procumbens (Abu et al., 2008). Despite the many advantages of keeping rabbits for meat supply, rabbit keeping remains unattractive to the people and rabbit meat consumption remains very low. Egbunike and Archibong (2000) reported that though Nigeria is in the tropics, she is presently confronted with the problem of proper feeding of her livestock because of the competition between man and farm animals for the conventional protein and energy feedstuffs. Hence, the need for this study on the utilization of dried Dried Bovine Rumen Digesta in rabbit feed.
Dried Bovine Rumen Digesta (DBRD) is cheap and readily available thus could serves as partial replacement for maize in the diet of grower rabbits.
1.2 Broad Objective
The general objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of feeding Dried Bovine Rumen Digesta (DBRD) as partial replacement for maize on the general performance of grower rabbits.
1.3 Specific Objective
1 To determine the proximate composition of DBRD.
1 To determine the level of Dried Bovine Rumen Digesta that can replace maize with or without enzyme supplementation in the diet of growing rabbit.
2 To determine the cost effectiveness of replacing Dried Dried Bovine Rumen Digesta with maize in the diet of growing rabbits.
3 To determine the effects of partial replacement of Dried Bovine Rumen Digesta with or without enzyme supplementation on the performance of growing rabbits.
