The Replacement of Fish Meal with Maggot Meal on the Performance, Carcass Characteristic, Haematological and Serum Biochemical Indices of Growing Rabbits

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the influence of replacing fish meal with maggot meal on the performance, carcass characteristic, haematological and serum biochemical indices of growing rabbits. Sixty rabbits of mixed breed, aged 6 – 8 weeks were randomly taken for the dietary treatments in a completely randomized design with twelve rabbits per treatment were replicated three times with four rabbits per replicate. The rabbits were feed with diets containing 0, 1.25, 2.50, 3.75, and 5% maggot meal in diets as T1 (control), T2, T3, T4 and T5 respectively. The experimental diets and clean drinking water were given ad libitum throughout the study period of nine weeks. The results indicated significant (P<0.05) difference in the dry matter intake of the animals. The intake increased with increasing levels of maggot meal across dietary treatments, with rabbits fed 3.75 and 5% maggot meal having the highest values and those on the control 0% and 1.20% the least significant (P<0.05) difference existed between treatments in average daily gain with diet 1 (control) and 5 recording the highest value and diet 4 the lowest. The range of feed efficiency values are significantly (P<0.05) different from each other and the values decreased with increasing levels of maggot meal across dietary treatments. The results of carcass characteristics indicated significant (P<0.05) difference among treatments for slaughter weight, carcass weight, dressing percentage, skin pelt, tail, feet and abdominal fat. The slaughter weight and carcass weight were better in groups receiving 2.50% maggot meal. The haematological showed significant (P<0.05) difference among the treatments in packed cell volume (PCV), red blood cell (RBC), white blood cell (WBC), mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH), but there was no significant (P>0.05) effect on haemoglobin and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC). The result also revealed significant (P<0.05) difference in serum globulin, glucose, cholesterol, urea and creatinine, but there was no significant (P>0.05) effect on serum albumin and total protein. From the results, it can be concluded that inclusion of 5% maggot meal as replacement for fish (50% replacement) has no adverse effect on the performance, carcass characteristics, haematological and serum biochemical indices of growing rabbits.