DY Osei^1,2*, P Asiedu³, FO Sarkwa⁴, EC Timpong-Jones⁴ and D Amedorme¹

¹Council for Scientific and Industrial Research - Animal Research Institute, Frafraha, Ghana
²Department of Animal Resources Development, CSIR College of Science and Technology, Accra
³Department of Animal Production and Health, University of Energy and Natural Resources, Sunyani, Ghana
⁴Livestock and Poultry Research Centre, School of Agriculture, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana

*Corresponding Author: DY Osei; Council for Scientific and Industrial Research - Animal Research Institute, Frafraha, Ghana.

Received: January 16, 2024Published: February 24, 2024

Abstract

This study sought to examine the immune response of rabbits fed different dietary levels of four common forages in Coastal Savannah Ecological Zone of Ghana. A total of 48 eight-week old mixed-breed rabbits were offered–– concentrate containing graded levels of 0, 10, 20 and 30% Brassica oleracea outer leaves or Musa paradisiaca leaves, Megathyrsus maximus, and Stylosanthes guianensis aerial parts for one week and 12-weeks adaptation and testing periods respectively. Spleen from 8 representative rabbits from each treatment group were harvested at the end of the feeding period and used to determine the spleen indices. No significant differences were found in the body weights, 1926 to 2314g, spleen weights, 1.00 to 1.50g, and spleen indices, 0.05 to 0.07g of rabbits fed concentrate containing the graded levels of the leaves. Rabbits fed diets containing 10% inclusion level of Brassica oleracea had the highest body weight, while the highest spleen weight and spleen index were found in rabbits fed 30% inclusion level of Musa paradisiaca leaves and Stylosanthes guianensis aerial parts. The study concludes that feeding diets containing up to 30% inclusion level of Brassica oleracea outer leaves, Musa paradisiaca leave and Megathyrsus maximus and Stylosanthes guianensis aerial parts to growing rabbits enhance the immune response of the animals thereby ensuring good performance and health.

Keywords: Body Weight; Brassica Oleracea; Dietary Level; Megathyrsus Maximus; Musa Paradisiaca; Stylosanthes Guianensis

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Citation

Citation: DY Osei., et al. “Spleen Indices of Mixed Breed Rabbits Fed Graded Levels of some Common Forages in the Coastal Savannah Ecological Zone of Ghana".Acta Scientific Veterinary Sciences 6.3 (2024): 67-71.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2024 DY Osei., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.