The effects of oil palm leaf meal-based diets on the growth performance and haematological indices of Red Sokoto goats

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-34
Author(s):  
A.I. Ukanwoko ◽  
C.T. Alfred
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
Growth Performance ◽  
Feed Intake ◽  
Oil Palm ◽  
Body Weight Gain ◽  
Final Body Weight ◽  
Leaf Meal ◽  
Haematological Indices ◽  
Palm Leaf

An experiment was carried out to determine the growth performance and haematological indices of Red Sokoto goats placed on oil palm leaf meal (OPLM)-wheat offal based diet. Six goats aged 12-18 months, weighing 15 – 20kg were randomly assigned to three treatments, comprising two animals each in a Completely Randomized Design. Each animal received 1kg of the diet daily for 56 days and weighed weekly. Results showed that final body weight was significant (P<0.05) with goats on T3 having the highest (21.50kg). The feed intake, body weight gain and Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) were significantly different (P<0.05). T3 had the highest feed intake (305.35g/d), highest body weight gain (90.84g/d) and the best FCR (3.36). Significant differences (P <0.05) were observed in the Red Blood Cell (RBC), Packed Cell Volume (PCV) and Haemoglobin (Hb) counts, ranging between 3.12 - 4.20x106ml; 23.00 -30.50% and 7.70 - 10.15g/dl respectively with goats on T3 having the highest.  The inclusion of OPLM enhanced body weight gain, FCR, RBC, PCV, and Hb counts of the goats. Therefore the oil palm leaf meal diets are recommended for better goat production. Key word: Growth performance; Oil Palm Leaf meal., Blood profile., Creatinine., Red Sokoto Goat.

scholarly journals Growth performance, blood profile and economic analysis of broilers fed fermented mixture of cassava flour and bovine blood (cassablood) based diets

2021 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 254-262
Author(s):  
A. O. Aniebo
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
Growth Performance ◽  
Feed Intake ◽  
Body Weight Gain ◽  
Control Diet ◽  
Final Body Weight ◽  
Blood Profile ◽  
Cassava Flour ◽  
Biochemical Indices

The effect of dietary treatments on growth performance, haematological and biochemical indices of finisher broilers as well as economics of broiler production were determined in this fermented cassava flour/blood mixture code-named "cassablood". The control diet (T1) contained 0% cassablood, while diets 2, 3 and 4 contained 20%, 25% and 30% cassablood respectively. 120 four weeks old Anak broiler chicken were randomly allocated the 4 diets with 30 birds per treatment replicated 3 times with ten 10 broilers per replicate in a completely randomized design (CRD). Treatment effects on final body weight, final weight gain, feed intake and seed conversion ratio were significant (P<0.05). Birds fed cassablood based diets compared favourably with the control diet. 20% cassablood inclusion performed equally with the control diet in feed intake, body weight gain and feed conversion ratio.All dietary groups also showed no significant differences (P>0.05) in most haematological and serum biochemical indices of broilers except in cholesterol, glucose and triglyceride contentswhichdiffered (P<0.05) significantly. Similarly, chicken on 20% and 25% inclusion levels produced significantly (P < 0.05) higher economic gains in terms of feed cost per kilogram of broiler among all the treatments. Therefore, 20 - 25% cassablood dietary inclusion level was recommended in broiler diet for production and profit maximization.  

scholarly journals Growth performance of broiler birds fed varying dietary levels of artemisia annua (sweet wormwood)

2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (5) ◽  
pp. 122-128
Author(s):  
A. O. Ani ◽  
D. U. Iyida ◽  
M. C. Ogwuegbu ◽  
C. O. Osita ◽  
H. O. Edeh
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
Growth Performance ◽  
Feed Intake ◽  
Artemisia Annua ◽  
Conversion Ratio ◽  
Feed Conversion Ratio ◽  
Feed Conversion ◽  
Final Body Weight ◽  
Leaf Meal

The study was conducted to investigate the growth performance of broiler birds fed varying dietary levels of Artemisia annua. A total of 90 broiler chickens (Arbor Acre strain) were used. The study lasted for eight weeks. At the starter phase, 90 fourteen-day old broiler chicks were randomly allocated to five groups and fed starter diets containing five levels of A. annua (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 g per kg of diet, respectively). At the finisher phase, 90 forty-two-day old finisher broilers were randomly allocated to five groups and fed finisher diets containing five levels of A. annua (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 g per kg of diet, respectively). Each group was replicated three times with six birds per replicate in a completely randomized design. Parameter measured includes body weight, average daily feed intake, feed conversion ratio and protein efficiency ratio. The result of the proximate composition showed that Artemisia annua leaf meal contained 10.50% moisture, 26.27% crude protein, 5.00% crude fibre, 9.60% ash, 2.00% ether extract and 46.63% nitrogen-free extract. The result showed that at the starter phase, the inclusion of varying levels of A. annua in the starter diets had significant (p < 0.05) effect on the final body weight (FBW) of birds. Birds fed diet 2 (diet containing 50g of A. annua per kg diet) had significantly (p<0.05) higher final body weight (FBW) value (1115.00g) than those fed diet 5 (diet containing 200g of A. annua per kg of diet) which had FBW value of 915.00g. Dietary treatments had no significant (p > 0.05) effect on average daily feed intake (ADFI), total weight gain (TWG), average daily weight gain (ADWG), feed conversion ratio (FCR) and protein efficient ratio(PER) of the birds. At the finisher phase, significant (p < 0.05) differences existed among treatments in ADWG, TWG, FBW and ADFI. Birds fed diet containing 50 g A. annua per kg diet had significantly (p < 0.05) higher ADWG, TWG and FWG values than those fed the control diet. However, no significant (p > 0.05) differences existed among treatments in FCR and PER. It is concluded that A. annua leaf meal can be included in the diet of starter and finisher broilers at 200g per kg of diet without any deleterious effect on the growth performance of birds.

scholarly journals Comparative evaluation of effects of different sources of groundnut meals on digestibility, growth performance and economics of production of growing rabbits

2021 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 272-283
Author(s):  
K. T. Orayaga ◽  
P. M. Goholshak
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
Feed Intake ◽  
Body Weight Gain ◽  
Control Diet ◽  
Seed Kernel ◽  
Apparent Digestibility ◽  
Final Body Weight ◽  
Treatment Groups ◽  
Groundnut Cake

Three groundnut meals namely: groundnut cake (GNC), locally processed groundnut cake (kulikuli) and toasted groundnut seed(kernel) meal (TGSM) were incorporated in rabbit diets at two levels to generate six diets: 18% GNC, 22% GNC, 18% Kulikuli, 22% Kulikuli, 18% TGSM and 22% TGSM respectively, and 18% GNC also served as the control diet. Twenty four (24) six weeks-old growing rabbits of mixed breeds and sexes with mean initial weight of 568.75±l2.85g were randomly allocated to the six dietary treatment groups, such that each had four rabbits and each rabbit formed a replicate in a completely randomized design laid out in a 2X3 factorial arrangement and fed ad libitum, for 70 days. The main effects showed that while the treatment groups fed TGSM were significantly depressed (p<0.05). rabbits fed GNC and kulikuli were not significantly different (p>0.05) for average daily feed intake, daily body weight gain and final body weight. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) was not significantly (p >0.05) affected among treatment groups. Rabbits fed TGSM had significantly (p<0.05) better apparent digestibility coefficient (78.04%) than those on kulikuli (75.81%6) and the group on kulikuli were better than animals fed GNC (72.09%) for fat digestibility. Fibre digestibility was also significantly different (p <0.05), with rabbits fed kulikuli having the poorest fibre digestion (15.63 %). Crude protein, dry matter and NFE apparent digestibility coefficients were not significantly (p >0.05) affected. Among all the parameters measured, only fat and fibre digestibility coefficients had significant (p <0.05) interactions and NFE digestibility was significantly affected (p <0.05) by level of inclusion, with groups fed 22% digesting it better. Feed cost kg gain did not differ significantly (p >0.05) among the treatment groups. Growth was still on the rise and there was a significantly (P<0.01) strong relationship (correlation and regression) between feed intake and weight gain for all the treatment groups. was concluded that both kulikuli and TGSM are potential feed resources for rabbits, more available to house hold farmers, equally economical as GNC and better still if groundnut farmers and or processors of kulikuli raise rabbits, though TGSM had less value for growth rate compared to GNC and Kulikuli at these levels of inclusion

Effect of Dietary Supplementation of Sea Buckthorn Leaf Meal in Coloured Breeder and Their Post Hatch Chicks on Growth Performance and Serum Biochemical Attributes During Summer Season

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
D N Singh ◽  
P K Shukla ◽  
A Bhattacharyya ◽  
Debashis Roy ◽  
Yajuvendra Singh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
Growth Performance ◽  
Body Weight Gain ◽  
Dietary Supplementation ◽  
Summer Season ◽  
Sea Buckthorn ◽  
Treatment Groups ◽  
Leaf Meal ◽  
Serum Biochemical

The present experiment was conducted to study the effect of dietary supplementation of sea buckthorn leaf meal (SBTLM) in breeder chicken and their post hatch growth performance and serum biochemical attributes during summer season. Ninety coloured Chabro breeder hens and eighteen viable cocks in 1:5 sex ratio were randomly distributed into three treatment groups: Control (Basal), standard breeder diet (BB); basal+0.5% and basal+1.0% SBTLM. Thereafter, ninety chicks from each breeder groups were further subdivided into three groups: Control (Basal), Broiler starter till 4 weeks, broiler finisher till 8 weeks of age, (BP); basal+0.5% supplementation and basal+1.0% supplementation of SBTLM. The weekly body weight gain (g) was significantly higher (plessthan0.05) in 0.5% SBTLM supplemented breeder group during 0-4 week and significantly higher plessthan0.01) in 0.5% SBTLM supplemented post hatch group during 0-8 week of the study period. Similarly, weekly FCR were also significantly better (plessthan0.05) in 0.5% SBTLM supplemented breeder group during 0-4 week and significantly higher (plessthan0.01) in 0.5% SBTLM supplemented post hatch group during 0-8 week of the study period. Serum HDL was significantly higher (plessthan0.05), where as serum cholesterol was significantly lower (plessthan0.05) and serum triglyceride was significantly lower plessthan0.01) in both post hatch SBTLM supplemented groups as compared to control group. No significant difference were observed in other serum biochemical attributes viz. total protein, albumin, globulin, A/G ratio, uric acid, creatinine, SGOT, SGPT and ALP among the treatment groups. Thus, it may be concluded that dietary supplementation of sea buckthorn leaf meal in coloured chicken @ 0.5% resulted in higher phase wise body weight gain, FCR, serum HDL, lower cholesterol and triglyceride without any adverse effect on other biochemical attributes.

scholarly journals Growth performance, haematological and biochemical indices of grazed Red Sokoto bucks supplemented with dried ripe plantain peels.

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 264-270
Author(s):  
A. I. Ukanwoko ◽  
N. C. Douglas ◽  
N. C. Igwe
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
Growth Performance ◽  
Body Weight Gain ◽  
Conversion Ratio ◽  
The Body ◽  
Feed Conversion ◽  
Final Body Weight ◽  
Blood Profile ◽  
Biochemical Indices

This study was conducted to evaluate the growth performance and blood profile of grazedRed Sokoto bucks supplemented with dried ripe plantain peels. Nine bucks were used for thisexperiment. The goats were apportioned to three treatment diets and dried ripe plantainpeels incorporated at 0%, 5% and 10% inclusion levels for T , T and T respectively. The 1 2 3,bucks were taken out for grazing in the morning (9.00am – 12noon) and thereafter fed theexperimental diet. The experiment lasted for eight (8) weeks. The animals were weighed atthe beginning of the experiment and weekly afterwards. Feed intake was calculated as thedifference between feed served and refusal. Blood samples of the bucks were collected todetermine the blood profile using disposable syringes and sterile needles. Results showedthat the final body weight, body weight gain and feed conversion ratio (FCR) differedsignificantly (P<0.05). The final body weight, body weight gain and FCR were 18.02kg,2.01kg, 3.42; 20.75kg, 3.89kg, 1.26 and 21.35kg, 4.80kg, 1.10 for T , T and T respectively. 1 2 3,Platelet, Alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total protein (TP), urea and creatinine values differedsignificantly (P<0.05). The highest platelet was recorded for bucks on T (212.91x10 3/ul) 3while the lowest was for bucks on T (202.30x103/ul). ALP, TP, urea and creatinine values 1were 29.00u/l, 60.00g/l, 8.00m/mol,72.50m/mol; 30.30u/l, 52.30g/l, 10.00m/mol,141.00m/mol and 42.00u/l, 53.30g/l, 9.70m/mol, 112.30m/mol for T , T and T , respectively. 1 2 3The inclusion of supplemental dried ripe plantain peels in the diet of Red Sokoto bucksenhanced the body weight and did not have any adverse effect on their blood profile.

scholarly journals Effect of feeding high yielding fodders on growth performance of growing Hilly Brown Bengal goat

2021 ◽  
pp. 73-81
Author(s):  
MM Rahman ◽  
NR Sarker ◽  
MA Alam
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
Growth Performance ◽  
Feed Intake ◽  
Body Weight Gain ◽  
Average Daily Gain ◽  
Feed Conversion ◽  
Treatment Groups ◽  
Natural Grass ◽  
Daily Gain

This study was carried out to evaluate the feeding effect of high yielding fodders (HYF) on feed intake and growth performance of growing Hilly Brown Bengal (HBB) goat. For this purpose, a feeding trail was conducted with 16 growing HBB kids (4 to 5 months) by dividing equally in four groups having four replicates for a period of 75 days. The goats in group T0 (control) received natural grass along with 101.30g concentrates and adlibitum cowpea hay, whereas in group T1, T2 and T3, only natural grass was replaced by BLRI Napier 3, BLRI Napier 4 and Ruzi fodder, respectively. Total dry matter intake (DMI), roughages DMI, crude protein intake (CP), body weight gain (kg), average daily gain (g) and forth night body weight gain (g/day) were studied. Results revealed that, DMI (288.39, 285.71, 293.48 and 301.35 g/day in group T0, T1, T2 and T3, respectively), body weight gain (3.60, 3.74, 3.73 and 3.77 kg in group T0, T1, T2 and T3, respectively), average daily gain (47.32, 49.16, 49.12 and 48.92 g in group T0, T1, T2 and T3, respectively) and feed conversion ratio (6.2, 5.9, 6.0 and 6.1 in group T0, T1, T2 and T3, respectively) of HBB kids were not differed significantly (P>0.05) for all the treatment groups. The DMI from roughages (196.2, 193.5, 201.3 and 209.2 g/day in group T0, T1, T2 and T3, respectively) and CP intake (38.7, 42.1, 48.3 and 38.8 g/day in group T0, T1, T2 and T3, respectively) were significantly varied (P<0.05), while highest CP intake was found in the treatment group T2. Forthnight body weight (g/day) was not significantly (P>0.05) gained with feeding of HYF for all the treatment groups. From this study, it can be concluded that, growing HBB kids could equally be supplied with either BLRI Napier 3 or BLRI Napier 4 or Ruzi fodder in addition to ad libitum cowpea hay for better voluntary feed intake and growth. Bang. J. Livs. Res. Vol. 27 (1&2), 2020: P. 73-81

scholarly journals Effects of supplemental xylanase and xylooligosaccharides on production performance and gut health variables of broiler chickens

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amit K. Singh ◽  
Birendra Mishra ◽  
Michael R. Bedford ◽  
Rajesh Jha
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
Feed Intake ◽  
Body Weight Gain ◽  
Average Daily Gain ◽  
The Body ◽  
Production Performance ◽  
Gut Health ◽  
Final Body Weight ◽  
Total Period

Abstract Background This study evaluated the effects of supplemental xylanase and xylooligosaccharides (XOS) in a corn-soybean meal (SBM)-based diet on growth performance and intestinal health of broilers. A total of 288 day-old chicks (Cobb 500) were allocated to 36 floor pens (8 birds/pen) equally in 9 dietary treatments in a 3 × 3 factorial arrangement. The treatments were combinations of 3 levels of xylanase (0, 0.005% and 0.01% Econase XT) and 3 levels of prebiotics (0, 0.005% and 0.01% XOS) added to basal mash diets formulated in three phases (starter, d 0–14; grower, d 15–28; finisher, d 29–42). The feed intake and body weights were recorded weekly. On d 42, ileal sections were collected for histomorphometric and gene expression analysis, and cecal content was collected for determining short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) and microbiota. Results Xylanase linearly (P < 0.01) increased the average daily gain (ADG) in both the finisher and total period and the final body weight gain (FBWG, 2940 & 2932 vs. 2760 g) of broilers. XOS did not significantly increase either ADG or FBWG (P > 0.05). Supplemental xylanase and XOS did not affect average daily feed intake and feed conversion ratio (P > 0.05). Xylanase and XOS did not change villus height (VH) or crypt depth (CD) ratio (P > 0.05). However, xylanase exhibited a trend (P = 0.097) on VH:CD ratio. The inclusion of 0.01% XOS without xylanase increased the level of IL-10 (a marker of anti-inflammatory cytokine) and IL-4 (a T-cell differentiation cytokine) genes compared with control (P < 0.05). The acetate production was increased by xylanase (P < 0.01) and XOS (P < 0.05) without an additive effect. Xylanase increased total SCFA (P < 0.01) while XOS had a tendency to increase (P = 0.052). Alpha and beta diversity of microbiota among treatments were not different (P > 0.05). However, the mean proportion of family Ruminococcaceae was increased by the supplemental 0.01% xylanase (P < 0.01). Conclusion It can be concluded that XOS can enhance cecal fermentation, while xylanase can increase the body weight gain along with the fermentation metabolites in the ceca of broilers fed the corn-SBM-based diet but the effects may not always translate into an improved mucosal absorptive capacity and a better feed efficiency.

scholarly journals A Multicarbohydrase and Phytase Complex Is Able to Compensate a Nutrient-Deficiency in Growing-Finishing Pigs

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1129
Author(s):  
Ya-Kuan Huang ◽  
Ling Zhao ◽  
Hua Sun ◽  
Xue-Mei Xu ◽  
Jlali Maamer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
Growth Performance ◽  
Meat Quality ◽  
Soybean Meal ◽  
Feed Intake ◽  
Crude Protein ◽  
Body Weight Gain ◽  
Carcass Traits ◽  
Finishing Pigs

The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of supplementing a corn-wheat-soybean meal-based diet with a multicarbohydrase and phytase complex (MCPC) on growth performance, apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of nutrients, carcass traits, and meat quality in growing-finishing pigs. A total of 300 pigs (Duroc × Large White × Landrace; body weight = 25.3 ± 0.7 kg) were randomly allotted to three groups with 10 replicates of 10 pigs each. Pigs from three groups were fed positive control (PC) or negative control (NC), without or with MCPC diets, respectively. The MCPC supplied at least 1800, 1244, 6600, and 1000 units of xylanase, β-glucanase, α-arabinofuranosidase, and phytase per kilogram of diet, respectively. The NC diet was the PC diet but reduced in net energy (NE), digestible amino acids (dig. AA), digestible P (dig. P), and Ca by 74 kcal/kg, 7.0%, 0.134, and 0.119 percentage points, respectively. The diets were fed in 4 growth phases based on body weight (BW): phase 1: 25–50 kg, phase 2: 50–75 kg, phase 3: 75–100 kg, and phase 4: 100–135 kg. Compared to the PC, the NC diet decreased (p < 0.05) body weight gain, feed intake, and(or) feed to gain ratio during the growing/finishing phases 1, 2, 3, and 4. It also reduced (p < 0.05) the ATTD of crude protein, crude fat, P, and Ca of pigs. MCPC supplementation improved (p < 0.05) the body weight gain, feed intake, and(or) feed to gain ratio in phases 2, 3, and 4 and the ATTD of crude protein, crude fat, ash, P, and Ca for the NC diet. Additionally, dietary treatment had no effects on carcass traits and meat quality with the exception that the loin eye area in the NC plus MCPC diet was higher (p < 0.05) than the NC diet. In conclusion, the addition of MCPC to a corn-soybean meal-wheat-based diet reduced in energy and nutrients improved the growth performance and nutrient digestibility but had little effect on carcass traits and meat quality in growing-finishing pigs.

scholarly journals The effects of Myristica fragrans seed meal and Syzygium aromaticum leaf meal dietary supplementation on growth performance and oxidative status of broiler chicken

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olufemi Adesanya Adu ◽  
Francis Ayodeji Gbore ◽  
Olugbenga David Oloruntola ◽  
Andrew Bamidele Falowo ◽  
Olumuyiwa Joseph Olarotimi
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
Glutathione Peroxidase ◽  
Growth Performance ◽  
Broiler Chicken ◽  
Body Weight Gain ◽  
Dietary Supplementation ◽  
Seed Meal ◽  
Syzygium Aromaticum ◽  
Leaf Meal

Abstract Background The study examined the effects of Myristica fragrans seed meal (MSM) and Syzygium aromaticum leaf meal (SLM) dietary supplementation on the growth performance, health status, and meat quality of broiler chicken. Methods A total of two hundred and forty 1-day-old broiler chickens were assigned the four dietary treatments: Diet 1/control (no supplementation), Diet 2 (0.25% MSM), Diet 3 (0.25% SLM), and Diet 4 (0.25% MSCM, i.e., MSM + SLM 1:1). The birds were fed ad libitum throughout the feeding trial. Results The dietary supplementation of 0.25% MSCM resulted in higher body weight gain and lowered feed conversion ratio (p < 0.05) at the finisher stage and overall period, while feed intake was not statistically affected (p > 0.05) across the treatments. The dietary inclusion of MSM, SLM, and MSCM did not significantly influence carcass traits, relative internal organ weights, and haematological indices of the broiler chicken (p > 0.05) except mean cell volume and mean cell haemoglobin content (p < 0.05). The result further revealed that broilers fed diets supplemented with MSM, SLM, and MSCM had higher (p < 0.05) serum catalase, glutathione peroxidase and lowered serum cholesterol compared with control. The meat cholesterol levels and lipid peroxidation of the birds were significantly (p < 0.05) reduced, while glutathione peroxidase was increased by dietary MSM, and MSCM supplementation. Conclusion The MSCM supplementation at 0.25% enhanced the body weight gain, improved serum, and meat glutathione peroxidase and catalase but reduced the broiler’s meat cholesterol level and lipid oxidation.

scholarly journals Performance of rabbits fed diets containing graded levels of processed tallow (Detarium microcarpum) seed meal

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 59-70
Author(s):  
E. Z. Jiya ◽  
A. T. Ijaiya ◽  
A. O. Olorunsanya ◽  
B. A. Ayanwale
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
Feed Intake ◽  
Body Weight Gain ◽  
Palm Kernel ◽  
Nutrient Digestibility ◽  
Processing Method ◽  
Seed Meal ◽  
Final Body Weight ◽  
Detarium Microcarpum

A twelve weeks experiment was conducted using eighty one (81) cross bred (Chinchilla x New Zealand white) weaned rabbits with average initial weights of 540g to evaluate the performance of rabbits fed diets containing graded levels of processed tallow (Detarium microcarpum) seed meal. The design of the experiment was 1 + 2/4 factorial and arranged as a completely randomized design (CRD). The rabbits were randomly allotted to nine treatment groups with nine rabbits per treatment. Each treatment had three replicates with three rabbits per replicate. Two processing methods (Cooking and Fermentation) were used to process tallow seeds. Control diet had 100% palm kernel cake (PKC) meal and 0% tallow seed meal, represented as T0. T1 – T4 contained cooked tallow seed meal (CTSM) and included as T1 (75% PKC : 25% CTSM); T2 (50% PKC : 50% CTSM); T3 (25% PKC : 75% CTSM) and T4 (0% PKC : 100% CTSM), While T5 – T8 had fermented tallow seed meal (FTSM) and included at the same levels as observed in the cooked diets. Data were collected on body weight, feed intake, body weight gain, feed conversion ratio, protein efficiency ratio and nutrient digestibility were calculated. Only ash content was affected by the processing method in the result of nutrient digestibility. The results revealed that processing improves the nutritional quality of tallow seeds. Rabbits fed cooked tallow seed based diets revealed higher feed intake, final body weight and body weight gain compared to Rabbits fed diets containing fermented tallow seed. It was therefore concluded that cooking and fermentation methods are effective processing method for eliminating the anti-nutritional factors contained in tallow seeds and so can be included in the diets of weaned rabbits at 100 % replacement of PKC without deleterious effect on their growth performance.

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