HAEMATOLOGICAL INDICES OF WEANER’S RABBIT FED SPROUTED MORINGA SEED MEAL

Abstract

In grassland pasture of low nutritive value, feeds, climatic factors and stresses, had led to various responses in blood indices. The haematological indices of growing rabbits fed sprouted Moringa seed meal was evaluated in this study using twenty four (24) New Zealand white rabbits aged 6weeks old. They were randomly allotted into four treatment groups and each treatment consisted of 6 rabbits per replicate and thereafter subjected to ten (10) weeks feeding trial. The diets contained four levels of Moringa seeds meal at 0, 5, 10 and 15 percent levels. Results showed that Packed cell volume of
rabbits in T4 was significantly (P<0.05) high (48.00%) compared to other groups. The Red blood cell of rabbits fed T2 and T4 were similar while T1 (7.38 x10⁶/L) were significantly higher than T3 (3.15x10⁶/L). Haemoglobin level were high in T4 (16:00g/dl) compared to other groups. White blood cell in T4 were also low compared to other groups. MCV were high (123.80fl) and low (4.27pg) in T3 respectively. Lymphocytes of rabbits on T3 (84.00%) were significantly (P<0.05) higher than T2 (26.00%). This study concluded that the blood profiles of rabbits in all the treatment groups were within the normal range; an indication that the test ingredient enhanced feed quality and inadvertently the nutritional and health status of rabbits. Moringa seeds could be incorporated into the diet of rabbits up to 15% without posing health hazards on the animals.