CHANGES IN HAEMATOLOGICAL PARAMETERS OF RABBIT BUCKS FED COTTONSEED CAKE BASED-DIETS SUPPLEMENTED WITH OR WITHOUT KIGELIA AFRICANA FRUITS

In this experimental study, 60 rabbit bucks were randomly assigned to five dietary treatments in a completely randomized design. The treatments included a control group without cottonseed cake (CSC) (T1), CSC-based diets without supplementation (T2), powder of Kigelia africana fruits supplementation (T3), extract of Kigelia africana fruits supplementation (T4), and a combination of powder and extract supplementation (T5). After a 14-week feeding period, blood samples were collected for hematological parameter analysis. Results showed significant decreases (P<0.05) in packed cell volume (PCV), red blood cell (RBC) count, hemoglobin concentration (Hb), and white blood cell (WBC) count in bucks fed CSC diets without Kigelia africana fruits supplementation. However, supplementation with Kigelia africana fruits extract and powder-extract combination significantly increased (P<0.05) these parameters. The study concludes that CSC negatively impacted certain hematological parameters in rabbit bucks, but supplementation with Kigelia africana fruits showed potential corrective effects.