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Livestock-Based Farming Systems, Renewable Resources and the Environment |
The experiment was a factorial design in which the first factor was length of sugar cane waste (3 and 10 cm ) fed ad-libitum; the second factor was supplementation with Operculina turpethum (OT) (0, 100, 200 and 300g/rabbit/day) with three replications and 4 rabbits per experimental unit. The intakes of sugar cane waste gradually decreased with increasing supplementation of OT in the diet. The DM intakes were higher for rabbits given sugar cane waste of 3cm rather than 10cm length and when the levels of OT were increased. The digestibility coefficients of DM and CP were higher for animals offered 3cm length sugar cane waste. Daily weight gain and N retention were higher for rabbits fed 3cm length sugar cane waste compared with 10cm length and by supplementation with 300g OT/rabbit/day.