Effects of the dietary replacement of maize with sun-dried cocoa pods on the performance of growing rabbits.

Twenty seven mixed-breed growing rabbits (1.2-1.3 kg body weight) aged 10-12 weeks were used to study the effects of the dietary replacement of maize with sun-dried cocoa pod husks on the performance of growing rabbits in a 6-week trial. Three treatment diets were compounded whereby sun-dried cocoa pod husks replaced maize at 0, 50, and 100 %, respectively. The animals were divided among the three treatment diets so that each diet had 3 replicates of 3 animals each. Feed intake and weight gain were recorded; faeces were also collected for digestibility trials, and cost analysis was also carried out. Results showed a significant difference (P < 0.05) in daily feed intake between the dietary treatments. However, there was no significant difference (P > 0.05) in the final metabolic weights, total metabolic weight gain, daily growth rate, and feed conversion ratio between the treatments. The digestibility study showed a decrease in the digestibility of dry matter and metabolisable energy with the increase in cocoa pod husk inclusion. Cost analysis indicate that significant net gains can be made by incorporating 200 g sundried cocoa pod husks per kg of the diet of growing rabbits compared with the same proportion of maize. These results suggest that sun-dried cocoa pod husks can totally replace maize and provide a cheap source of energy in the diets of growing rabbits.