Fotso et al., 2000. World Rabbit Science, 8 (2): 57-60

A total of 64 New Zealand and Californian rabbits, 45 days of age, were caged individually to study the nutritive value of 4 protein sources for growing rabbits: chicken offals meal (18%), fish meal (16%), cottonseed meal (24%) and cassava leaves meal (42%). Other main ingredients of experimental diets were wheat bran (30 to 56%) maize 12%) palm kernel meal (10%). Chemical composition of the 4 experimental diets was indicated but not that of the 4 protein sources tested. Protein content of the 4 diets was 21.3 - 22.0 - 20.9 and 19.2% .Rabbit fed fish meal and chicken offal as principal protein sources in the diet consumed more and grew significantly (P<0.01) faster (30.1 and 26.7 d/day) than those fed cassava leaf and cotton seed meals (25.0 and 22.3 g/day). Carcass yields were of 54.2% for rabbits fed fish meal diets, 52.3% for those fed diets with chicken offals, 50.3% with cassava leaf meal anf 49.9% for rabbits fed cotton seed based diets. Difference was significant only between the 2 extreme diets (fish meal and cottonseed meak - P<0.05). Calculated meat costs per kilogram based on feed costs only, showed the most efficient diet to be that containing chicken offal meal (309 FCfa/kg meat) followed by that containing cotton seed meal (311 FCfa /kg), then cassava meal (333 FCfa /kg) . The most inefficient diet cost-wise, was the diet containing fish meal with 342 FCfa /kg meat.