EFFECT OF RAW, FERMENTED AND HOT WATER TREATED COCOA POD HUSK MEAL BASED DIETS ON THE REPRODUCTIVE TRACT MORPHOMETRY OF RABBIT BUCKS

Abstract

This study was carried out to determine the effect of feeding raw, fermented and hot - water treated cocoa pod husk meal (CPHM) based - diets on the reproductive tract morphometry of rabbit bucks. A total of sixty (60) cross bred mature rabbit bucks were utilized and randomly allocated to twelve (12) experimental diets containing raw (T1, T2, T3& Ta), fermented (Ts. T6. T7, & Ts) and hot water treated (T9. T10, T1& T12) CPHM at 0.00, 12.50, 25.00 and 37.50 percent levels of inclusion respectively, in a 3 X 4 factorial arrangement using a CRD. The feeding trial lasted twenty one (21) weeks. Water and feed (formulated diets were both isonitrogenous 16% and isocaloric - 2500kcal/kgME) were provided ad-libitum. At the end of the feeding trial thirty six (36) rabbits (3 per treatment) were sacrificed in the laboratory, dissected and reproductive tracts obtained intoto, trimmed of fats and adhering tissues before being subjected to morphometric analysis. Results of the study revealed significant (P < 0.05) reduction in absolute weight values of the paired testes and epididymis as well as the length of the caput epididymis in rabbit bucks fed the raw CPHM diets, while fermented and hot-water treated CPHM recorded fluctuating trends. The respective absolute and relative weights as well as lengths of other parameters declined in values as the levels of raw CPHM inclusion increased, while other processed forms had no definite pattern without any significant difference (P > 0.05). These findings imply that processed cocoa pod husk meal (fermented and hot-water treated forms)could serves some useful purpose as a non-conventional feed resource in rabbit nutrition and physiology. It is therefore suggested that fermented and hot- water treated CPHM could be included up to 25.00 percent in diets meant for rabbits without fear of compromising their reproductive tract morphometryvis-a-vis reproductive potential.