Thermoregulatory Response of Heat Stressed Growing Rabbits Administered Baobab Fruit Pulp Meal Supplement

Abstract

The study was designed to evaluatethe thermoregulatory response in heat stressed growing rabbits administered with BFPM. A total of thirty (30) weaned rabbits were used. The rabbits were randomly allotted into five experimental treatment groups, with six (6) rabbits per treatment in a completely randomized design. The animals were fed diets containing graded levels [0.0% (Control), 2.5%, 3.5%, 4.5% and 5.5%] of BFPM. Microclimate parameters of ambient temperature (AT) and relative humidity (RH) of the rabbitry were taken daily from February through June. The values were used to calculate temperature-humidity index (THI). Thermoregulatory parameters such as respiratory rate (RR), heart rate (HR), rectal temperature (RT) and ear temperature (ET) were monitored and measured on weekly basis. The experiment lasted for nine weeks. It was found that THI values kept increasing from the month of February with a peak in May and declined in the month of June. The values of THI from March to May indicated that environmental conditions were stressful to the animals. The treatments with 4.5% and 5.5% significantly (p<0.05) reduced thermoregulatory parameters compared to the control. It was concluded that BFPM was effective in ameliorating heat stress in rabbits.