Effect of cassava foliage, para grass and energy from broken rice or sugar on intake and growth rate of rabbits fed a basal diet of water spinach
 

Pok Samkol, Chhay Ty and T R Preston*

Centre for Livestock and Agriculture Development (CelAgrid)
#05, street 181, Sangkat Tumnop Teuk
Khan Chamcar Morn, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
psamkol@celagrid.org
* UTA-TOSOLY, AA # 48, Socorro, Santander, Colombia

The present investigation was to study the effect of different sources of fibre, and the source of energy (starch or sugar), on the performance traits of rabbits. A 2*4 factorial arrangement was used with 24 crossbred rabbits (Local x New Zealand breed) with average live weight of 848 g. The rabbits were confined in individual cages made from bamboo and wood. The individual treatments were:

§         WSS: water spinach ad libitum + 15 g fresh  sugar

§         WSCS: water spinach ad libitum + cassava foliage ad libitum + 15 g fresh sugar

§         WSPS: water spinach ad libitum + para grass ad libitum + 15 g fresh sugar

§         WSCPS: water spinach ad libitum + cassava ad libitum + para grass ad libitum + 15 g fresh sugar

§         WSB: water spinach ad libitum + 15 g of broken rice

§         WSCB: water spinach ad libitum + cassava ad libitum + 15 g of broken rice

§         WSPB: water spinach ad libitum + para grass ad libitum + 15 g  of broken rice

§         WSCPB: water spinach ad libitum + cassava ad libitum + para grass ad libitum + 15 g of broken rice

Water spinach, cassava and para grass were hung on the side of the cage. Sugar and broken rice were fed in the small bowl attached within the cage.  

Growth rates ranged from 11 g/day for water spinach plus cassava foliage to 14 g/day when only water spinach was fed. There was a slight indication (P=0.20) that growth rates were higher with the sugar supplement (13.1 g/day) than with broken rice (11.4 g/day).

 Key words: water spinach, cassava, para grass, broken rice, sugar, starch,  growth rate