HAEMATOLOGICAL RESPONSE OF WEANER RABBITS FED DIETARY LEVELS OF GMELINA ARBOREA LEAF MEAL

P. C. Jiwuba; D. 0. Ugwu; M. U. Onyekwere; P. I. Ogbuewu; S. O. Okechukwu; A. D. Olabode

doi:10.51791/njap.vi.6643

Authors

P. C. Jiwuba Federal College of Agriculture, P.M.B.7008, Ishiagu, Ebonyi State, Nigeria
D. 0. Ugwu Federal College of Agriculture, P.M.B.7008, Ishiagu, Ebonyi State, Nigeria
M. U. Onyekwere Federal College of Agriculture, P.M.B.7008, Ishiagu, Ebonyi State, Nigeria
P. I. Ogbuewu Federal College of Agriculture, P.M.B.7008, Ishiagu, Ebonyi State, Nigeria
S. O. Okechukwu Federal College of Agriculture, P.M.B.7008, Ishiagu, Ebonyi State, Nigeria
A. D. Olabode Federal College of Agriculture, P.M.B.7008, Ishiagu, Ebonyi State, Nigeria

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51791/njap.vi.6643

Abstract

A 49 day experiment was conducted to determine the haematological parameters of weaner rabbits fed dietary levels of Gmelina arborea leaf meal (GALM). The rabbits were randomly divided into four (4) experimental groups of six (6) animals per treatment in a completely randomized design (CRD). Four dietary treatments (T,, T, T, and T,) were formulated to contain 0%, 10%, 20% and 30% levels of GALM. Haematological characteristic studied are packed cell volume (PCV), Haemoglobin (HB), Red blood cells (RBC), white blood cells (WBC), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH), means corpuscular Haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) and mean corpuscular volume (MCV). The experimental diets had significant (P<0.05) influence in all the haematological indices evaluated. From the results, it could be concluded that inclusion of 30% Gmelina arborea leaf meal had no adverse effects on the haematological parameters of weaner rabbits.