Evaluating growth performance, haematological indices, and serological responses in weaner rabbits fed flesh coontail leaf (Ceratophyllum demersum)

Abstract

Effect of fresh coontail leaf (FCL) feeding on growth performance, haematology indices, and serological responses was assessed in weaned rabbits. A total of 120 unsexed crossbred rabbits with an average initial weight of 650 g were allocated to 5 dietary treatment groups with three replicates each and 24 rabbits per group. In a fully randomised design, the inclusion percentages for FCL were (control), 30 %, 50 %, 70 %, or 100 % of the basal diet. The results show that feeding a diet with 50 % FCL significantly improved total weight gain, while complete feeding of FCL decreased total weight gain compared to the control. Feeding FCL at 30, 50, and 70 % of the diet significantly increased total feed intake compared to the control or 100 %FCL feeding. Feed conversion ratio was significantly the best with 50 % FCL of the diet. Haematological measurements indicated that white blood cell (WBC) counts were significantly higher when feeding FCL 30 or 50 % of the diet, red blood cell (RBC) counts were significantly higher when feeding FCL at 30, 50, or 70 % of the diet, while mean corpuscular volume (MCV) was significantly higher when feeding FCL at 50 % of the diet. It could be recommended to feed FCL up to 50 % of the diet to weaning rabbits without a negative effect on growth performance.